The Story No One Knew
by Nicola19
Summary: This is the rewrite for the Story No One Knew. What if a girl had not only loved Itachi but was suppose to marry him? What if she stopped Sasuke from leaving to prevent history from repeating itself? pairings: NarHin, SasSak, ItachiOC
1. History

Alright. Here's the first chapter of my rewrite. So far I think I like this one better but then again I started out with more information. Anyways I'll let you start reading.

Disclaimer: This will apply to all chapters because I don't like to admit this. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters from Naruto.

* * *

**Ch. 1: History**

Nanami Tsukino was smiling at her training partner and friend as he told his little brother about their clan's duty. The little boy told them both that he was going to be on the police force when he grew up. Nanami smiled at him, "I'm sure you will, Sasuke,"

The three of them walked to the Uchiha compound. Nanami had been living with them for several years now. When she turned seven her clan was ready to enroll her into the academy in Konoha. The problem was her clan's compound was up in the mountain a day's travel away from Konoha. Her father, Setsuna Tsukino, and Itachi's father, Fugaku Uchiha, had been best friends since their genin days. So Fugaku had offered to let her stay with them until she was finished with her training. She became a genin and stayed so she could train with her team. Now she was a chunin and stayed because she wanted to.

Her parents both came to visit every once in a while. For the most part she spent her time with Itachi. The two of them had been friends since they had been kids. This pleased their fathers. Nanami was her father's only child and he was the head of the clan. Whoever married her would be made head of the Tsukino clan. When the two fathers found out about Nanami's and Itachi's friendship then they had made and arrangement. A marriage was arranged between their two kids. Nanami would become head of her clan and Itachi of his but they would have each other for support. It seemed like the perfect plan.

Neither Nanami or Itachi complained when told. Mostly because when they had been told they were to young to even know what marriage was. When they were old enough to understand they still hadn't complained. Nanami had, by this point, fallen for her friend though she hadn't told anyone. Itachi just didn't complain about much. In fact he didn't talk much at all unless it was necessary. For him there just wasn't a reason to complain so he didn't.

It wasn't like Nanami was a bad person. Itachi considered her one of the few people he could stand to be with with for longer than five minutes. That was quite an accomplishment. Nanami was odd for a girl though maybe not for a shinobi. She had thick dark hair except for a single white lock on her brow. She wore her headband in her hair with that single lock free of it's constraint. Her storm cloud colored eyes were filled with intelligence and humor. She was easy to get along with for a most part though she did have a quick temper. If Itachi was honest he would admit that he would rather face an army of S ranked criminals alone than Nanami when she was angry. She was both violent and sadistic once her temper was ignited. However, Itachi wasn't going to admit any such thing...ever. Other than when she was angry, Itachi actually enjoyed her company though he would never say that out loud either.

They arrived home and Fugaku wasn't happy that Itachi was late. No one offered an excuse. Nanami wanted to because Itachi actually had a good reason. Sasuke had injured himself training and Itachi had gone to get him and help him home. Itachi didn't give excuses though nor did he explain himself to anyone even his father. She knew her friend wouldn't appreciate it if she said anything on his behalf.

Fugaku asked them to follow him because he wanted to talk to Itachi. The three kids sat across from Fugaku with Itachi in the middle. The boys' father gave Itachi praises for his accomplishment on getting to go on the mission that would ensure that he would become an ANBU. He also informed everyone that he would be accompanying Itachi on the mission the next day. Neither Itachi or Nanami had missed Sasuke's reaction to this news. He had been looking forward to his father attending his entrance ceremony for the Academy but that was tomorrow as well. If Fugaku went with Itachi on the mission than he couldn't be at Sasuke's entrance ceremony. Then Sasuke wouldn't be able to enter the Academy. Fugaku had to be there.

Itachi looked at his father and tried to hint at his father not to come to his mission. Fugaku didn't take the hint though so Itachi got blunt. He said he wouldn't be going on the mission because at least one of them should be at Sasuke's ceremony. Fugaku took the hint that time. When Itachi and Nanami were alone she smiled at Itachi.

"You're a great brother, Itachi." He nodded his head in acknowledgment of what she said. She just shook her head, "You're so articulate. I think I'll go deaf from all the talking you do."

He smirked, "You talk enough for the both of us."

She punched his arm gently in retribution for that comment. The two of them headed to the training grounds. Nanami had asked him for some help with a jutsu before he left and he had agreed to help her. Nanami was glad that Itachi looked after Sasuke. The older brother wasn't much on showing emotion but it was obvious he cared for his brother. It was just as obvious that Sasuke was struggling to get out from under Itachi's shadow. Nanami knew Itachi worried about that a little. He didn't want Sasuke to hate him but it was probably inevitable. She wished she could help her friend but as long as everyone compared Sasuke to Itachi the problem wouldn't go away.

The next day Fugaku was among the other parents at the entrance ceremony. Nanami was standing next to him with a smile. When Sasuke looked back at them she waved with her usual bright smile. He gave her a shy smile then looked at his father. The smile faded. Nanami glanced up at the man next to her and frowned. Then she elbowed him. His eyes opened to glare at her.

"You could at least pretend to be a proud parent," she whispered with heat. "He can see the look on your face after all."

Fugaku glanced at Sasuke then gave a small nod. Nanami rolled her eyes. She was beginning to think that being dense was in the Uchiha bloodline. It had taken Itachi several months to figure out how she felt about him and even then he only found out because he found a note she had written with her confession on it. Now Fugaku wasn't taking the hint about his youngest son. She just prayed that gene had missed Sasuke.

After the ceremony the instructors sang Itachi's praises and said they expected great things from Sasuke. Nanami shook her head. It would be hard on Sasuke to live in his brother's shadow. It was one of the benefits of being an only child. She didn't have to worry about being compared to older or younger siblings. It had to be hard especially if said sibling was a genius like Itachi.

A few hours later Nanami found Sasuke in the training area. He was sitting there with a frown on his face. Nanami seriously thought he was way to serious for a seven year old but what did she know. Itachi had been the same way. Maybe it was just an Uchiha thing. She knelt down beside the younger Uchiha with a smile.

"What's on your mind?"

He glance at her, "I want to be as strong as brother."

"Oh is that all. Alright then," she said cheerfully as she stood up.

He looked at her in curiosity, "What?"

"Get up. I'll help you train if you want."

He grinned. Nanami was one of the few people who could hold her own with Itachi. She had a high level of intelligence and amazing chakra control which didn't surprise anyone. The Tsukino clan was known for it's medical nin skills. Almost everyone in the clan was a medic and it had always been that way. Sasuke also knew that she had a kekkei genkai but he didn't know what it was. He just knew that it made her hard to beat for some reason.

Sasuke stood up and she helped him with his training. The two returned home a few hours later. Sasuke had actually improved a lot. Itachi was there when they returned. He could hear his brother chattering excitedly about his improvements. Nanami made several comments about how he could improve even farther and that she would be happy to help him. The little boy thanked her and ran off to tell his mother. Nanami turned to where Itachi was hidden.

"I know you're there. How did today's mission go?"

He stepped out of the shadow. She could always tell when he was there no matter how well he hid himself. His response was short as usual, "Fine."

She smiled, "That's good."

He began to walk inside. Nanami frowned. He was acting strange. Itachi had always been distant but this was different. She wished she could understand what was going on in his head. Nanami wanted to help him but he wouldn't talk about whatever was on his mind so she couldn't do anything. She released a frustrated sigh and went inside.

Sasuke got his first report card and was very proud of the job he had done. Nanami and his mother had smiled and complimented him on a job well done. His father's reaction wasn't nearly as great. He had complimented Sasuke but it had been different then how he praised Itachi. From outside Nanami had shaken her head at Fugaku. He really was a hard man to please.

Later that night both Nanami and Sasuke had been awoken by the sounds of shouting. It had been coming from the meeting room. The two of them listened for a moment. Fugaku was upset because Itachi wasn't going to some meeting the next day. The two outside the door exchanged glances. Then they heard Itachi's voice, "The two of you should be in bed."

Sasuke slid the door open the rest of the way. Itachi looked back at them while Fugaku stood up and scolded them, "What are you doing roaming around at this hour?"

Nanami's temper rose to the occasion, "Being woken up by a hot headed Uchiha while he yelled at his son for things beyond his control."

Fugaku's eyes narrowed while Sasuke looked up and Nanami in shock. No one had ever spoken to his father that way before. Nanami just kept glaring at his father and he didn't get the impression that she was going to back down anytime soon. Fugaku eventually looked away. She was right. He couldn't very well get upset when he was the reason they were up now. Nanami then ushered Sasuke back to bed and returned to her own. She had just wanted to make a point. Fugaku didn't scare her and he couldn't boss her around.

The next day Nanami was standing in the doorway behind the two brothers while they talked. Itachi was promising Sasuke that he would always be there for him even if he hated him. Nanami gave a small sad smile. A couple of men from the Uchiha clan walked up to the house and called for Itachi.

They had questioned Itachi about his reasons for missing the assembly. Then they asked him about the suicide of Shisui Uchiha. When Nanami heard that he had killed himself she gasped. Itachi had cared about Shisui a great deal. It didn't surprise her when he had gotten pissed off by their accusations. It also hadn't surprised her that he looked and sounded upset. He probably was. His best friend was dead and he had just heard the news. She wondered why they had expected him to act normal.

What had surprised her was Itachi's rant about the clan. Something had been stressing him out a lot recently but he wouldn't talk about it. All he would tell her was that he was handling it. Now here he was talking about the end of the clan. The rant just got worse when Fugaku showed up. Nanami was afraid another fight was going to break out when Sasuke shouted.

"Big brother you have to stop!"

Itachi seem to snap out of whatever had gotten a hold of him. He bowed to the men and told them he hadn't killed Shisui. He then apologized for his words. The apology was accepted and the group of men left. Fugaku headed inside and Nanami saw it. In Itachi's eyes. The pain and grief. Then his Sharingan changed into something else. She didn't know what it was but she did know that it wasn't normal.

Itachi stood and left. Nanami followed him. He had stopped in a clearing with a small lake in it. The water was crystal clear and there was a thick forest surrounding the area. Nanami knelt beside him. He didn't say anything or even look at her. Itachi just continued to stare out at the lake with emotionless eyes. She reached out and touched his cheek. Then he looked at her.

"I'm so sorry, Itachi. I know what Shisui meant to you. I wish there was something I could do for you." He just looked back at the lake. She turned his face back to her, "You know it's ok to cry. I won't tell anyone."

"Crying is a weakness," he stated. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt her tears on his neck and asked, "Why are you crying? You barely knew Shisui."

"I'm crying for you. You're hurting and there's nothing I can do. Itachi, I love you. That means if anything hurts you, it hurts me."

For a moment he didn't move or speak. Then he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist. Silent tears fell down his face. It was ok right now. He could be weak just this once. She wouldn't tell anyone. Nanami just held him while he cried for one of the few friends he had.

After that day, Itachi had spent a lot of time on missions. It was like everyone was trying to keep him busy. He had asked Nanami to keep an eye on Sasuke. He knew that his brother was slightly unsure of what to do because Itachi and Fugaku were barely civil to each other. Nanami promised to watch him so she did. She watched as he worked day and night to master the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu that his father had taught him. She watched his father call Sasuke his son for the first time when he had succeeded in completing the jutsu. She had also heard Fugaku's warning to Sasuke not to follow Itachi's path. Sasuke was a smart boy and eager to learn. He wanted approval from his father and acknowledgment from Itachi. She knew he would work hard to achieve both of those. A smile formed as she watched him train. He was already working hard to achieve his goals.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One night Itachi asked her something that caught her off guard. She looked over at him, "What?"

"I want you to promise me that if anything happens to me or my clan you'll watch over Sasuke."

"What do you mean? Is something wrong?" she demanded.

He looked at her with those sharp onyx eyes, "Promise me, Nanami."

She looked at him for a moment then sighed. Once again he was going to leave her in the dark. Her tone held resignation, "Alright, Itachi. I promise."

He nodded then went to bed. She sat there for a moment wondering what that was all about. He just kept getting weirder and weirder. Something was definitely bothering him now. Not only that he was scared of something. She wished he would let her help him.

Nanami had been visiting her clan the day Itachi had attacked his clan. When she heard about it she had run to the Uchiha compound along with her father. Sure enough everyone was dead but Sasuke and Itachi was missing. When she heard that Sasuke was in the hospital she went to check on him. Nanami personally treated his injuries while he was there. Her father told her that Fugaku had left a will that put Sasuke in his care. Nanami looked at her father with determination.

"Father, let me take care of him."

"Are you sure, Nanami?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. He'll be your responsibility. What will you do?"

"I think he'll want to live alone. I'll only be a reminder of Itachi anyway so it's best if he has his own apartment. I'll just make sure he had money and is taken care of."

"So be it," Setsuna Tsukino agreed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Sasuke was still in the hospital Nanami talked to everyone about what had happened. Sasuke had already stated that it had been Itachi. Nanami believed him. She didn't want to but she did. Later the two of them returned to their compound and told everyone what they had learned. Her father looked at her. He knew she was going to cry as soon as she was alone. He also knew that would be the last time she would cry for Itachi. Tomorrow, when she comes out of her room, she would start training so that when she saw Itachi again she could make him pay. Setsuna looked over at his mother, Lady Kimiko.

"I'm worried about her. She loved Itachi."

"You're wrong, dear. Nanami still loves Itachi. She'll just bury it in angry and sorrow so that even she won't know it anymore. The feelings she had for Itachi won't go away even with time," Kimiko stated as she watched her granddaughter walk back to her room. Nanami took after her mother, Ayame, with everything but her eyes. The color of her eyes was just like Kimiko's and everyone who had Tsukino blood in their veins. Kimiko knew that Nanami's temper would override her sorrow just like it would with her mother.

"What can we do?" he asked helplessly. No father liked to know that his daughter would be suffering especially when there was nothing that could be done about it.

Kimiko smiled, "Train her. Help her get stronger. Allow her to watch over Sasuke. Then when Itachi returns and turns her world upside down again, we support her no matter what."

Setsuna looked over at the closed door. He new beyond it was his little girl in excruciating pain and there was nothing he could do about it. As a father and friend he cursed Itachi. He glanced back down at Kimiko and nodded. He would train Nanami and so would everyone else in their clan. They would help her get stronger so that next time Itachi showed up she could punch him in the face.

Nanami wasn't in her room. She had gone out her window to find someplace to think. The girl found herself in the clearing where Itachi had cried for his friend. She wondered if that had been fake too. If it had been Itachi was wasting his talents as a shinobi. He would make millions as an actor. She looked up at the stars as the words to a song came to mind. Silent tears fell down her face as they played over and over again in her head.

_You were all the things I thought I knew_

_And I thought we could be_

_You were everything, everything that I wanted_

_We were meant to be, supposed to be_

_but we lost it_

_All of them memories, so close to me_

_Just fade away_

_All this time you were pretending_

_So much for my happy ending_

Nanami fell to her knees and just cried. She would allow it this one time. It was ok just this once but tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow she would have to be strong. This would be the last time she cried for Itachi. That was a promise. But tonight...tonight she was too sad and angry to be strong. She had loved him...well, she loved who she thought he was. So she would cry for what was lost. Tomorrow she would be strong again.

* * *

That's it for the first chapter. I hope you guys liked it. I did forget to mention that I don't own the song either. When I was writing that particular part of the chapter the lyrics just seemed to perfect for the situation not to put in there so I did. Anyways please review and tell me what you think.


	2. In the Meantime

Some of the reviews mentioned that they wanted more detail like training and stuff so i added something that hadn't been in the original version. This chapter will cover what Nanami had been doing between the time when Itachi left and Sasuke attempted to leave the village. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: insert standard disclaimer here

* * *

**Ch. 2: In the Meantime**

After that day Nanami seemed to be doing just fine. She smiled and laughed. It worried those around her because they knew she was just burying the pain but what could they do. Nanami trained hard. Sometimes she would train until she dropped. When she wasn't training she would be in Konoha watching over Sasuke. He never knew she was there. Seeing her would bring painful memories and she knew it. Those memories would hurt Sasuke so she stayed in the background.

After a few months she knew Sasuke would be trouble. He was already walking down Itachi's path and he didn't even know it. There was nothing she could do at the moment. He wouldn't listen to her even if she tried to talk to him. He was too caught up in his anger and grief to listen to anyone. So she just watched and debated. What would she do when the time came to act? The idea hit her. The next day at breakfast she looked at her grandmother.

"Grandma, can you teach me our sealing jutsu?"

Everyone at the table stopped and looked at her. Kimiko looked at Nanami curiously, "Why do you wish to learn that jutsu, dear?"

"He's going to be trouble. I want a way to guarantee that he doesn't end up like his brother."

"Nanami that particular jutsu allows the one who casts it to control the body of another. It is a last restort..." one of her uncles began but Nanami didn't let him finish.

"It will be. I only want it as a precaution. Sasuke is following in Itachi's footsteps. I can see it. The Tsukino clan's seal will allow me to stop him if it becomes necessary."

"You realize he'll hate you if it ever does come to that jutsu?" her mother asked.

"I know. It doesn't matter."

Kimiko looked at her granddaughter for a moment. Their gray eyes clashed then Kimiko stood, "Alright, dear. Come with me."

The old lady led Nanami to the Tsukino training grounds. She turned to face her granddaughter, "First there are no hand signs for this jutsu."

Nanami's eyes widened, "What?"

"It's based off of our medical chakra and our kekkei genkai."

"But I though our kekkei genkai only worked on our own bodies," Nanami commented in confusion.

"It does. That's what makes this dangerous. If the person you place the seal on breaks it on his own then it could kill you because it will undermine our blood trait. Tell me what you understand of our particular trait," Kimiko ordered.

"Well, it heals our bodies with or without our permission. That's why we have to be careful in a battle because it uses our chakra every time we're injured and we can't stop it. The upside is that normally fatal wounds don't even slow us down and we can't be poisoned. Unlike when other medical nins heal themselves, it doesn't shorten our lifespan to do this."

"That's right but there is more. What you described is just the first level of our kekkei genkai. Like the Sharingan and other blood traits there's more powerful versions of our technique. Ultimately our kekkei genkai allows us to control another's body. There are, of course, limits to this but that's why we don't talk about our trait to anyone outside the family."

Nanami nodded, "Ok, that makes sense. So the seal is actually part of our blood trait. That means that our kekkei genkai is actually focused on the body in general not a specific aspect like healing."

"Right and wrong. Our blood trait does allow us to control another's body but that's the extent of it outside of healing ourselves and others. For the most part all it does is gives us large benefits when it comes to healing. Anyone possessing our blood can heal any injury or poison as long as they have enough chakra to do it. Of course we can't control this ability with ourselves as you pointed out. There is one other time we can't control it. When we come into physical contact with some one we love with everything in us our power will be pulled out of us to heal them."

"I didn't know that part."

"We like to hide that part of the ability. It's dangerous for others to know about that. The ability to control the body of another isn't known outside of the clan either. Now you don't need the seal to perform that particular ability. I can control your body right now without any trouble."

"Then why do we have the seal?"

"Because the body control jutsu is only a temporary thing. Once you've released the jutsu you have to preform it again to regain control. However, the sealing jutsu is long term. Once someone has the seal on them they're trapped. You can control them for a moment then release that control. Unlike the normal jutsu all you have to do to regain that control is give a command while focusing on the seal with your mind."

"Alright. So where do we start?"

"First thing first. I'm going to take control of your body so you'll know what it feels like. Now relax and don't move."

Kimiko performed a few hand signs and then Nanami felt her body pulse then a weird sensation crawled over her skin. Kimiko nodded in satisfaction and Nanami felt her own head copy Kimiko's movement. Then her grandmother said, "Release. Did you feel it?"

Nanami nodded, "I couldn't move unless you did. My skin crawled the entire time. It was like...something was covering me and wouldn't let me move. I couldn't even speak because I couldn't move my mouth."

"Right. What I just did to you is the most basic control jutsu. That's what I'll be teaching you first." Nanami started to speak but Kimiko wouldn't let her, "Before you complain about it let me explain. You have to start with the basics, Nanami. Basics give you an understanding of the more advanced technique. Now let me go get someone to be a practice dummy and then I'll start teaching you how to do the jutsu I just preformed."

Nanami nodded, "Alright."

Nanami trained for hours. The biggest problem was she couldn't do this alone so when her training partner was too tired to train anymore then she had to either find a new one or quit training. After her cousin decided he needed a break Nanami went to Konoha to check on Sasuke. He was doing fine it seemed. When she watched him keep his distance from the other kids she frowned. She turned to leave and nearly bumped into the person behind her. She looked up at man with silver hair that was spiked up. He only had one dark eye showing. The other was covered by his the leaf village headband. She couldn't see the rest of his face either because he wore a mask over it. He smiled.

"You're Nanami Tsukino, right?"

She eyed him suspiciously, "Yes. Who are you?"

"My name is Kakashi Hatake."

She smiled, "The copy ninja?"

"That's me. What brings you to Konoha. Your clan's compound is a days travel from here isn't it?"

"Normally yes. I cheated and used chakra to increase my speed. I wanted to check on Sasuke Uchiha. He's under my care."

His eye showed pity as he looked over to the boy, "I see. His life won't be easy. Does he know you are the one caring for him?"

"No. He wouldn't want me to. I'll remind him of Itachi."

He tilted his head, "That's right. You two were an item."

Anger sparked in her eyes, "Yes we were but if he ever shows his sorry mug around here again I'll be the first to kick his just as sorry ass."

Amusement flickered in his eyes, "I don't doubt it."

She tilted her head, "How did you know who I was?"

"The hair. As far as I know you're the only girl in the entire village with a single white lock of hair like that. It helped that the Tsukino clan's symbol is on the back of your shirt."

She glanced down at her clothes, Once again she was an odd ball. Instead of pants that stopped above her ankles, Nanami's black pants covered all but the tip of her shoes. They fit her loosely around her legs and snuggly around the waist. Instead of sandals, Nanami preferred closed toe shoes. They were styled the same as the sandals everyone else wore but they didn't expose her toes. She had her shuriken holder wrapped around her right leg. Her shirt was a dark blue color. The right sleeve was long bell shaped that almost covered her hand. The other side was just a shoulder strap. She knew that on the back was three white interconnecting circles that formed her clan symbol.

"I suppose the symbol and hair was a dead give away," she commented with a grin.

"Just a little one," he agreed with a smile.

"Did you want something?"

"You looked frustrated and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

She frowned, "I'm trying to learn a new technique but no one can keep up with me. They tire out before I do an I need a partner to know that I performed this jutsu correctly."

He seemed to consider this for a moment then smiled, "Then I have a solution to both our problems. We can train together."

"I thought jonin didn't like to train with chunin."

"Normally I don't but this time I'll make an exception. You did train with the Uchihas so you aren't a push over."

"Alright then. Let's go." The two headed for the training grounds. Nanami glanced over and asked, "What was your problem out of curiosity?"

"I wanted to train but everyone is either busy or too tired."

She smiled. They each took a position across from each other in a fighting stance. At some invisible signal they moved. After a few minutes they landed apart from each other. Both were grinning. Kakashi reached up and grabbed the bottom of his headband and pushed it up. Nanami gasped, "How did that happen? You weren't an Uchiha and your other eye doesn't have it."

Under his headband was the Sharingan eye. His eyes saddened, "My best friend had been an Uchiha. Obito."

Then Nanami remembered the conversation Fugaku had with a young boy about thirteen. She had only been five years old at the time. Nanami smiled at Kakashi, "I remember now. Obito gave you his Sharingan."

Kakashi nodded and changed the subject since he didn't like talking about himself to anyone, "Yes he did. Shall we continue?"

Nanami nodded. Their fight went on. Kakashi quickly learned that the Sharingan did help him fight Nanami but it didn't give him an advantage. Her training partner growing up had been the prodigy of the Uchiha clan after all. Itachi had been able to use the Sharingan since he was eight years old. Several hours later the two of them collapsed to their knees in exhaustion. Nanami grinned, "I think I actually had you under the jutsu for a moment."

"If you're talking about that skin crawling thing then yes you did."

"That's good."

The two of them sat there trying to catch their breath. Setsuna decided to come over to them. He had arrived while they were training and decided to watch. Nanami had improved a great deal if the match had been any indication. Now Setsuna was very controlled. He rarely displayed strong emotions. It wasn't so bad that he wouldn't smile but to hear him laugh was rare. He would look sad but no tears would ever fall. He was currently smiling at the two, "Not bad."

Nanami smiled, "I think I've found a new training partner if he doesn't mind."

"Not at all," Kakashi responded.

Sestuna nodded. It would be good for Nanami to train with the copy ninja. He did possess the Sharingan after all. Training with him would keep her skills fighting someone with it sharp. When she met Itachi again she wouldn't be rusty. Nanami told Kakashi he would be welcomed at their compound if he ever decided to come. He nodded in agreement and said he was would take her up on that offer the next time he took a vacation to train. After that day the two of them trained together frequently. It was with him that Nanami managed to master the controlling jutsu her grandmother had taught her. She had been so thrilled.

Kakashi also really did come to her compound to train for a while. He became one of the few people the Tsukinos trusted with any kind of secrets regarding their clan after a two years. If Konoha needed anything out of the Tsukino clan they would often send Kakashi to ask for it. He also help train Nanami when her grandmother finally taught Nanami how to perform the sealing jutsu.

Kimiko looked over at him with a smile, "Come over here boy. It's time you were useful. Stand right there now. Nanami perform the seal on Kakashi here."

"What?!" both of them demanded at the same time.

"You heard me. Don't worry it can be undone when you've finished."

Nanami nodded then turned to Kakashi. He nodded too. She began practicing the justu. Of course she didn't get it right the first time. It took Nanami another year to master the sealing jutsu of her clan. She was 15 years old the day she finally got it. She had also made jonin the same year. The clan celebrated and of course invited Kakashi who had become family. He had learned quickly that there was no holding back with this clan. They were a very close family and wouldn't allow anyone they considered part of that family to hold back for very long. He looked over at the girl. She had become like a sister even though he hadn't asked for one. Maybe it was ok to be close to this one family.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke was standing among the other's in his class during the graduation ceremony. He glanced over the crowd. Everyone had someone there but Naruto and him. He supposed that shouldn't have come as a surprise. Neither of them had any family so there wasn't anyone to come. Then he saw her. She looked familiar but for the life of him he couldn't figure out where from. After the ceremony he rushed off to find her. He wanted to know why she looked so familiar. He saw her walking away towards an area he avoided these days. Sasuke followed her anyway.

Nanami had gone to his graduation ceremony. Sasuke was finally a genin. Kakashi had told her that the boy was going to be placed on his team. She had been happy about that. Kakashi would take care of him. She had decided to leave without saying a word to Sasuke. Chances were he wouldn't remember her right off and even is he did he probably wouldn't want to see her. Besides she had something to take care of. The medic headed to the Uchiha compound.

The place was dusty but still there. Her father had asked the Hokage to leave it alone. That way, when Sasuke finally decided he was ready, he could return home. The Hokage agreed. Now the clan was buried in a field right inside the walls of the compound. The graveyard was fenced off from the rest of the yard. Nanami walked in. She walked among the graves until she came to two in particular. They were Sasuke's parent's graves.

Her eyes held unspeakable sadness and her voice shook slightly when she spoke, "Hey. It's been a while, hasn't it? I was 12 the last time I stood here one week after Itachi had left. Now I'm 15 and we still haven't caught him. That's not why I'm here though. I came to tell you that Sasuke graduated today. You would both be very proud of him. I wish you could see him now. He's gotten so strong. He still hell bent on revenge though. That worries me a little but I'm handling it. I just figured you would want to know that he graduated top of his class. As expected of a son of yours. Right Fugaku? My father said to tell you two hello and that everyone is fine. I'll be leaving now. I'm returning to the compound tonight. I'll come and visit you again when Sasuke becomes a chunin. At the rate he's going that will be in about a year..."

She stopped when she heard a sound behind her. Nanami whirled around with a kunai in her hand. Sasuke walked up to her with narrow eyes. She relaxed when she realized who it was. A small smile formed on her face as she gazed at him with storm cloud eyes. He continued to looked at her in suspicion.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

She shook her head, "Such arrogance from one so young. I was visiting."

"You knew them," he made it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yes. So you don't remember me. I'm not sure how I feel about that," she commented with a rueful smile.

"You look familiar but I don't know why."

"I should look familiar. I lived with you for several years." She debated for a moment then decided to be honest, "I was...I was suppose to marry Itachi when we were old enough."

He didn't say anything for a moment then nodded, "I remember. You would help me train after school a lot and would get on my father's case for being so hard on me."

She smiled, "Yes. I've been keeping an eye on you since they...since they died."

"I never saw you."

"I should hope not. I didn't want you to and when a jonin doesn't want to be seen then no one should be able to see him or her in my case. I didn't think you would want to see me because I was a reminder of somethings you probably wanted to forget."

He looked away from her. She was right. She did remind him of things he would rather have stayed forgotten. Itachi's face loomed in his mind. It didn't help that he was here, in the place where his life had been stripped from him. Nanami closed her eyes with another rueful smile. He still wasn't ready to be anywhere near her. She turned and began to walk away.

"As I thought. You're not ready to have me anywhere near you. It doesn't matter anyway. I was just here for your entrance ceremony. I'm heading back to my compound today. You won't have to worry about me again for a little while."

She left him there. Sasuke didn't stay long. He had other things to do and he had to get ready for tomorrow. Several weeks later Kakashi showed up at Nanami's compound. He told her how Sasuke did on his test and on their first real mission. He also told her what Sasuke had said when he had introduced himself to the others. Nanami wasn't surprised. Kakashi kept her appraised of Sasuke's progress through letters for the most part but he occasionally came himself.

She was very happy to hear that Sasuke had risked his life to save Naruto's on their first mission. That meant there was hope for him. One day she would be trying to save him from himself. This development would make that job easier. There was a heart that cared in Sasuke Uchiha. That was the key to keeping him from becoming Itachi.

Kakashi told her that the chunin exams would be taking place and that his team was participating. Nanami went to Konoha and stayed in the apartment she kept there so that she could watch Sasuke. When she heard what Orochimaru had done to Sasuke she knew what the snake wanted. He wanted Sasuke. She would have to make sure he didn't get what he wanted. The problem was Sasuke wanted to go with Orochimaru because he believed the snake could give him power. Nanami would have to prove him wrong on that too or at least get Sasuke to see that joining the bad guys wasn't the only way to gain power.

She helped the leaf village fight when Orochimaru attacked. Nanami also healed many of the ninja that had been injured. She arrived to where Naruto and Gaara's fight had taken place after the fact. Sasuke was standing guard over his friends when she got there. He looked up at her. She chose ignore the black marks on him.

"I'm glad you're alright. Now you get Sakura and I'll get Naruto. I can treat them in the village," Nanami commanded.

He obeyed. Nanami treated Naruto and Sakura. She even tended to Sasuke though he complained the entire time about not needing treatment. After a while she returned to her apartment to sleep. Sasuke would be fine and so would the rest of them. Her only concern was Sasuke's desire for power. He was slowly letting it take him over. She was afraid that if they didn't act soon he wouldn't be savable anymore. That scared her more than anything else.

* * *

There it is. Now let me know what you think. No flames though please. Just constructive criticism or an 'i like this story review'. 


	3. His Return

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's similar to the 1st chappy in the original but more detail and I followed the time line from the anime a little more.

Disclaimer: How about this. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters of said show. I do own any of my characters namely the Tsukino clan. This applies to all chapters. Now I don't have to repeat it every time.

* * *

**Ch. 3: His Return**

She was running as fast as she could. He was back. She could feel it and she had to get there. Him being here couldn't be a good thing as much as she wanted it to be. She knew he was one of the only people capable of fighting him and coming out alive. So she had to hurry or someone would die and it might be Sasuke. She burst through the door of the building she sensed him in and hit him in the jaw as hard as she could.

Itachi flew backwards into a wall. That had been unexpected. When he looked over he saw her. A girl with hair that could put the night sky to shame but for a single white lock that fell down the right side of her face. Storm cloud eyes gazed at him with unconcealed anger and bitterness. He calmly reached up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else, Itachi. I sure as hell won't let you hurt Sasuke more than you already have," she stated coldly.

"I don't believe we've met an yet you know my name. How is that?" he asked.

Something flashed in her eyes but was gone to quickly to identify. She smirked slightly, "I knew you back when you pretended to be the good guy."

He frowned just a little. She looked familiar but he couldn't... His thought trailed off as the image of a young girl flashed in his mind. Crimson eyes widened just a fraction then narrowed. This woman had to be...

"What do you want?" he asked in an icy tone.

She just grinned, "I want a lot of things but for now I'll settle for stopping you."

"You can't."

"Try me."

He moved his hand just a little but she didn't give him an opportunity to use genjustu. Itachi was forced onto the defensive at first. He was also impressed by her skill. There were very few who had ever matched him this well. It was almost as if she could predict his movements. If she was who he thought she was there was a very good chance she could because they had fought before. There was one way to find out if he was correct about her identity. A kunai appeared in his hand and he moved to the offensive. She was really good at dodging. Another thing to support his theory. Then he had her. The Kunai sliced into her arm but that didn't slow her down. She moved in and then next thing anyone knew they each had a kunai to the other's throat.

Itachi smirked then looked at her arm holding the kunai. It was the same one he had sliced into. His eyes stayed on the cut as it healed so quickly that he would have missed it if he had blinked. The only evidence that it had ever been there was the trail of blood around where the would use to be. He smirked, "Well, I never thought I would see you again, Nanami Tsukino."

She continued to glare at him. Before she could say anything Jiraiya performed the jutsu that put them inside the mountain frogs stomach. Itachi and Kisame were forced to flee. Both Jiraiya and Nanami chased after them but didn't get to them in time. The toad sage turned to Nanami with a serious expression.

"Who are you?" Jiraiya asked her.

She smiled, "My name is Nanami Tsukino. I'm Sasuke's guardian."

"Well that explains a lot."

Nanami nodded, "Speaking of which I've got to make sure that Sasuke will be alright."

The two of them headed back to the two genin. Naruto came running up to them, "Did you get them?"

"No we didn't," Jiraiya answered.

"What?! You're suppose to be a legendary sanin." Naruto shouted at him. Jiraiya said some kind of reply to show that he was insulted. Nanami left them to their fighting and walked over to Sasuke. He was lying on the floor unconscious. She knelt beside him and placed both hands on his chest. Naruto's voice broke through her concentration, "What are you doing to, Sasuke-teme?"

"I'm a medical nin. Now be quiet so I can heal him."

After a few seconds, Sasuke opened his eyes and grabbed his head with a groan. He suddenly sat up and looked around, "Itachi..."

"Don't worry kid. He's gone," Nanami said as she placed a hand on his bare arm. Jiraiya was the only one that noticed that she had performed a jutsu on the boy. He wondered what it was but didn't question her. She could be trusted with the boy's safety. Besides, Sasuke was her responsibility.

"Damn," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Nanami shook her head at him, "You're entirely too eager to die kid."

"What makes you say that?" he demanded.

"What thirteen year old takes a man as strong as Itachi on all by himself?" Then she answered her own question before he could, "The answer is a suicidal one."

Sasuke couldn't really say anything to that because he had almost gotten himself killed after all. He still glared at her for pointing it out though. Naruto walked up next to Sasuke, "You're alright. Thank god. Don't every scare me like that again, Sasuke-teme. What were you thinking? Why didn't you let me help you?"

"Shut up, Naruto. I didn't want help or need it."

Nanami rolled her eyes, "I swear arrogance and pride must be in the blood of the Uchiha men. They all suffer from both."

"What do you know?" he demanded.

"You already know the answer to that question. This isn't the first time we've met and at the rate you're going our next one will be real soon."

Sasuke chose to ignore that comment and asked, "Who fought Itachi?"

"I did," she said simply.

"You're still alive. How?"

"Very carefully." When he opened his mouth to say something else she placed hers over his mouth to stop him. "Enough questions. You need rest and more treatment."

He moved her hand and said, "I'm fine. I don't..."

Sasuke didn't get to finish. She had very calmly knocked him out. She shook her head forlornly, "Oops. I guess you're not fine after all."

Jiraiya chuckled as Naruto began to berate her for hitting Sasuke. Jiraiya picked the young Uchiha up and told Naruto to shut up. The three of them walked out and took Sasuke to the hospital. Nanami had chosen not to finish healing him even though she could. She needed time to talk to Kakashi and decided what to do next.

_------------------With Itachi and Kisame----------------_

"Who was she, Itachi?" Kisame asked his partner.

Itachi looked at Kisame then stared at nothing. His dark eyes were unfocused for the first time that Kisame could remember. Itachi had always been calm and collected. Whoever this girl was she had thrown him for a loop and she hadn't even tried to. Nanami Tsukino. That was what his partner had called her. Kisame made a mental note to do some research on her. If she could affect Itachi this way he wanted to know all he could about her.

"She's just someone I knew a long time ago," Itachi responded. He sounded calm but Kisame wasn't falling for it.

"She's not just someone if you reacted the way you did. That was the most emotion I've seen you show in a long time," Kisame said. He was definitely starting to get curious. He chose to let the subject drop when his partner chose to not to comment any farther. Besides, it could be bad for his health to continue questioning Itachi when he obviously didn't want to talk about it. Kisame would find out everything soon enough anyway.

_-----------In Konoha----------_

The first thing Sasuke noticed when he woke up was that girl. She was sitting in the window with a slight frown. He sat up and she noticed the movement. She was smiling when she turned to face him, "You're awake. That's good."

"You're Nanami."

"That's right."

"Where am I?" he asked her.

"In the hospital. You still had quit a bit of damage to be treated. I couldn't take care of all of it," she said with a grin. The girl always seemed to be smiling. Nanami had lied of course. She could have finished Sasuke's treatment but she had been stalling. If Tsunade hadn't come to become the hokage then Nanami would have healed Sasuke. She hadn't at first because she needed time to think and plan. It was coming. The time when she would have to use that jutsu.

"You're a medical nin?"

"Yes. You're back to interrogating me. Can't that wait until later?" she asked. Then added, "You should know that Naruto and Jiraiya have returned with the new Hokage."

He didn't get a chance to comment. The door to the room opened and Sakura rushed in. She threw her arms around Sasuke's neck, "Sasuke-kun, you're alright."

"Careful, Sakura. You don't want to hurt him. He's still in recovery after all," Nanami said with a chuckle.

"Oh right. Sorry, Sasuke-kun," the pink haired girl said while quickly letting go of Sasuke. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he stated.

Sakura didn't seem bothered by his short and grumpy reply. She smiled, "That's good. Did Nanami tell you that we have the new Hokage. Her name is Tsunade and she's one of the legendary sanin."

Sasuke didn't respond. Instead he stared straight ahead with a fierce glare. Nanami shook her head in resignation. It looked like she was going to have her work cut out for her. She smiled at Sakura, "Come on, Sakura. Let's let Sasuke get some rest. He still has some time before he can leave here."

"Alright, Nanami. I'll come back and visit you later. Ok, Sasuke-kun?"

"Whatever," he replied grumpily. Sakura and Nanami left him to his brooding.

Sakura ran off to tell Naruto that Sasuke would be alright. Nanami went to find Kakashi. She found the jonin right were he was suppose to be at the moment. In his hospital bed. The copy ninja was still recovering from his fight with Itachi. Kakashi was the first to speak, "Well, do you think I was right?"

"Yes. He will leave to join Orochimaru at the first given opportunity."

"What will you do? You said you wouldn't let him follow his brother's footsteps and that's exactly what he's doing."

Nanami sighed, "I've already taken a precaution. Just make sure I know about it the day he leaves and I'll take care of it."

"You used the seal, didn't you?"

"Yes I did. Do you think I should have found a different way?" she asked curiously.

"No. It's probably the only way to keep him here. I just hope he can still change."

"So do I, Kakashi. So do I," Nanami stated.

* * *

(sniffles) i'm so sad. Two chapters and I only got one review. I would like to thank springblossem for the review. I'm glad at least one person likes the story. I'll I'll keep updating as long as one person likes it enough to review but still... More reviews please. 


	4. The Seal

Well, here's the next chapter. I'm very happy now. I got more reviews. It's nice to know that people like the story. I think I'm beginning to like this version better than the original. It's probably because the original was one of my first stories and i've gotten better at writing since starting it...at least I think so. Anyways I'll let you read the story now.

Disclaimer: One more thing. See chapter 1 for disclaimer. Now you can read the chapter**  
**

* * *

**Ch. 4: The Seal**

A few weeks later Nanami was sitting across from Kakashi as he explained what had happened between Naruto and Sasuke. Their rivalry was getting out of control. Nanami couldn't believe that Sasuke would use the Chidori on a friend. He could have killed Naruto. Naruto, of course, was just as bad. The blond idiot had used the Rasengan on Sasuke. Nanami looked at Kakashi with worry, "What were they thinking? Did they want to kill each other?"

"Sasuke is frustrated because Naruto is getting stronger. He feels like he's not."

She sat back with a frown, "What are we going to do?"

"I think you'll have to intervene sooner than we hoped."

Nanami sighed and racked her fingers through her hair. She really didn't want to use the jutsu she had placed on Sasuke several weeks ago. Some part of her knew it was going to come to that but that didn't mean she liked it. Her eyes met Kakashi's, "You're right but..."

"I know," he said quietly. And she knew that he did understand. "It's the only way. He'll get the invitation from Orochimaru soon. He'll go and no one but you can stop him. They'll try but he'll use the curse mark to get away if he has too. That mark can't fight you're seal, can it?"

"I don't believe so. I'm stronger that Sasuke is. The only way to break the Tsukino seal is to become stronger spiritually and physically than the one that cast it. At the moment I've got him beat on both points. However, I'm not sure about that curse seal. It normally only activates when he's out of chakra but if he allows it to take him over then there's no telling what will happen. All I can to is pray."

"It could kill you."

"I know. I'll risk it."

He nodded, "Alright then. You should stay in the village until after he attempts to leave. That way you won't be far."

She nodded, "Alright."

The next day two people rushed into her apartment to tell her that Sasuke had left to join Orochimaru. They also told her that a team had already been sent to fetch him and that team had been gone for several hours already. After getting all the information she could out of them she rushed off. She had to catch up to them before it was too late.

Along the way she past the members of the Konoha team. They had all won their fights. She stopped at each kid to make sure that that they would be alright. She healed them enough to ensure their survival then continued towards Sasuke. She heard the fighting and saw Naruto and Sasuke charging at each other. Both of them were surrounded by their chakra and looked different. Sasuke had changed the most. He had allowed the curse to take over completely and it had altered his appearance dramatically. She watched them clash. Then Naruto fell. She didn't have time to help him. She would help him when she stopped Sasuke. So instead she ran ahead of the young Uchiha. She stopped in a clearing and waited.

She didn't have to wait long. Sasuke walked into the clearing and stopped when he saw her. He glared, "What do you want?"

"I want a lot of thing for now I'll settle for stopping you."

"You can't."

"Try me." Nanami shook her head when he didn't respond. This conversation sounded very familiar. She smirked at Sasuke, "You're so much like Itachi it isn't funny."

His eyes became cold, "Don't ever compare me with him. I am nothing like him."

"Oh really. You're becoming like him without even trying. You've become a loner and distant. Your arrogance and cold manner are so much like his it's scary. Now you're leaving to join the enemy and become a missing nin. Getting a sense of deja vu yet?"

"Shut up!! I'm not like him!"

"Oh, sure you're not. He actually killed his best friend. You just almost killed yours. That makes all the difference doesn't it?" sarcasm dripped from every word she spoke.

"Shut up!!" he shouted. His eyes were cold as he glared at her.

"No, I won't shut up just because you don't like what I have to say. And don't look at me that way. It's not my fault. You're the one that beat Naruto to a bloody pulp."

"I have to get stronger and beat Itachi."

"Of course you do but at what price Sasuke? Are you willing to betray your friends and village just for power? Are you willing to sell your soul to Orochimaru?" she demanded.

"If that's what it takes to beat Itachi then yes."

A sad look came into her eyes, "I can't let you do that."

"You can't stop me."

"I've already stopped you. I stopped you several weeks ago when Itachi came to the village."

"I don't understand. You haven't even fought me."

"I don't have to and even if I did I could still stop you. You're out of chakra and physically tired from your fight with Naruto. I, on the other hand, am still fresh and full of chakra. Not to mention I've fought stronger men than you. Kakashi has been my training partner since I was 12 and I trained with Itachi before that. You don't stand a chance with me kid. Luckily for both of us though I saw this coming and took precautions. So now I won't have to lift a finger to stop you unless I want to." He ran and tried to pass her but she shouted, "Stop!"

He tired to keep going but he couldn't move. It was like his body had been frozen in place and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't budge. Sasuke growled, "What did you do?"

"I placed a sealing jutsu on you. It gives me control over your body when I want. As long as it's there I win," she replied calmly. She released her hold on the seal and he was allowed to move but she prepared herself for anything. He wouldn't give up so easily.

He attacked. He couldn't believe it. There was no way she could have won already. He hadn't even had a chance to fight her. So he fought and fought and fought. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't win. She always dodged and blocked every move he made. What was worse, she didn't fight back. She just looked at him with something close to pity and dodged every move he made. He couldn't even use his curse seal or ninjutsu. The fight with Naruto had wiped him out. It didn't take him long to collapse to his hands and knees gasping for air. It couldn't end this way. It just couldn't.

"Why? Why couldn't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I can't let you become Itachi. I can't just stand here while you sell you're soul to the devil for power and hurt everyone who loves you in the process. Because I know one day after you beat Itachi and have nothing left you'll look in the mirror and see the monster you became to beat him. And then you'll regret the things you've done to hurt those who matter." She walked up to him and knelt beside him. Her voice was barely a whisper, "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

He couldn't fight her anymore. Nanami placed her hand on his head and used her medical chakra to knock him out. She lifted him and headed back to where Naruto was. Kakashi was already there. He was holding Naruto and looking up at the statues of Madara and the first hokage. Nanami stood next to him.

"Will Naruto be alright?" she asked.

"Yes. The injury isn't fatal. Tsunade can treat him when we get back."

Nanami nodded, "I have Sasuke by the way."

He looked over, "That's good. How is he?"

"Tired, soar, and very pissed off."

"I figured as much. Let's get them back to the village. They'll need to be treated."

Nanami nodded and followed Kakashi back to the village. When they got there they took their respective cargoes to the hospital. Nanami and Tsunade healed all the major injuries. It took them quite a while. Everyone that had left on the mission was seriously injured. Nanami took care of Sasuke personally. It took her several hours to figure out how to make the curse recede again and then a few more to do it. By the time she was finished she felt exhausted. Tsunade walked in.

"We've gotten everyone out of critical condition. They still need rest but they'll be fine."

Nanami nodded, "Good. I'll be taking Sasuke back to the Tsukino clan's compound tomorrow."

"I figured you would. What will you do when you get there?"

"I won't train him until I know he won't try to fight the seal. In the meantime, he'll just be living there with me so that my clan can keep an eye on him. I also want my grandmother to take a look at his curse. I think it's caused by something in his body but I'm not sure. She's had more training than me so maybe she'll be able to tell."

Tsunade tilted her head, "Is it true that children of your clan start training in medical ninjutsu when they're five years old?"

"That's right. Then we continue studying it until the day we die. Our library is full of scrolls and books on medical ninjutsu. My grandmother is actually very proud of her collection," Nanami said with an amused smile.

"I'll have to remember that. I'll know where to look for information when I can't find it here."

"We'll be happy to let you use our library, Tsunade," a new voice said from the door.

Nanami looked over at the door and smiled, "Hello grandma."

The old lady walked over to Nanami and smiled, "Hello, Nanami dear." Then she promptly hit Nanami on the side of the head.

Nanami rubbed at her head and gave the woman a confused glare, "Ow!! What was that for?"

"For not telling us what was happening. We are a family. That means you're suppose to clue us in when something major is about to happen like Sasuke running off to join Orochimaru," she scolded the young woman.

"It's not like I had time to tell you," Nanami grumbled as she rubbed the back of her head while glaring at her grandmother. She looked over at Tsunade and said, "This is my grandmother, Lady Kimiko Tsukino. Grandma, this is the hokage, Tsunade-sama."

"It's nice to meet you, Kimiko-san," Tsunade said. She was still grinning from watching the woman hit Nanami on the head. That even had definitely amused her to no end.

Kimiko smiled, "The pleasure is definitely yours but it's nice to meet you too."

Nanami and Tsunade chuckled. The old lady was definitely something else. Kimiko looked over at the hospital bed and her smile faded. She shook her head then looked back at Nanami, "I presume this is Sasuke Uchiha. He's a spitting image of Itachi."

"I noticed. He even acts like Itachi. It would be amusing if I weren't trying to stop that."

Kimiko looked over at Nanami and something passed between them. The old woman then said, "When do you plan on taking him to the compound?"

"Tomorrow morning. The seal will keep him from going anywhere until I want him to."

"I'll go home with the two of you then. Besides, I want a chance to talk to the youngest son of Fugaku." She looked back at Sasuke, "I remember a time when this boy worked so hard to please his father. Now Fugaku would roll over in his grave if he saw his son now. He would be really ashamed of both his children,"

Nanami smiled sadly, "I know."

On the bed Sasuke was actually awake. He had been pretending so no one would say anything to him. He had also hoped to be left alone so he could run away again. When they had talked about his father he felt the shame rush through him before he shoved it aside. They had started to leave and he felt relieved. Now he could leave. Before she walked out the door Nanami turned with a small smirk and said that he couldn't leave the room until she came back. He felt something burning on his left arm. When he looked he saw three interconnected circles that looked as if they had been burned onto his skin. It was the same mark that was on the back of Nanami's shirt. That meant that this was her clan symbol. Then he remembered that they had been talking about a seal that she had placed on him. This must be it. He frowned. What was he suppose to do now. He couldn't fight a jutsu if he didn't even know how it worked. Sasuke looked out the window. 'I guess I'm stuck for now. When I reach her compound I'll find out what this seal is and how to get rid of it,' he thought to himself.

Nanami came to get him first thing the next morning. She was smiling as she walked in with Sakura and Kakashi. Naruto was still in his room healing. They had even had to tie him down to the bed. Sasuke glared at them. The medic shook her head, "It's nice to see you're feeling better. We're leaving today so get up. I've already been to your apartment to pack your things."

He continued to glare at her but it didn't seem to have any affect on her. She turned to Kakashi, "You'll stay in here with him while he gets ready?"

"Yes. Don't worry. He won't be going anywhere."

"Thanks, Kakashi. We'll go check on Naruto. Tsunade had been worried about him but she's too busy to check on him so I volunteered," Nanami said as she and Sakura walked out the door.

A few hours later the group was standing at the gates to Konoha. Sasuke, Nanami, and Kimiko were packed and ready to go. Nanami seemed to be waiting on something as she talked to Kakashi. Sakura was discussing something with Kimiko. Sasuke was standing off a little ways sulking. Then Tsunade walked up with a grin.

"Alright, Nanami, I've decided. Take Sakura with you."

"But I need to train..." Sakura started.

"And you'll get plenty of medical training with the Tsukino clan. Possibly even more that I could give you. Nanami has even agreed to train you. The choice is yours of course. If you would rather stay here then..."

Now Sakura interrupted, "NO!! I mean...I want to go with them. Just let me go pack."

The pink haired girl ran off to get her things. Nanami was grinning. Tsunade shook her head, "You'll have your hands full, Nanami. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm positive. You're the hokage so you'll be too busy to train her right now especially since you don't have enough shinobi to go around. It'll also keep me from being bored. Sasuke will be too busy sulking and trying to figure out a way out of my seal to occupy my time."

"Can he find the scroll on the seal?" Kakashi asked suddenly. He knew that if Sasuke managed to get out of the seal it would kill Nanami. That was the price of the seal. If it was broken by someone other than the one that cast it then the person who placed the seal would die. He really didn't want that to happen.

Kimiko decided to answer this question, "No. He can't because you'll have it."

He blinked, "What?"

The old lady pulled a scroll out of her sleeve and handed it to Kakashi, "This is the scroll for the Tsukino seal. The clan has decided to let you hold it until we can trust Sasuke around it. I've also taken the liberty of having all the scrolls and books regarding our clan's secrets in your apartment, which is very boring by the way. You should decorate it a little, Kakashi."

"I like my apartment the way it is thank you," the copy ninja stated with a mock glare at Kimiko. He sobered and took the scroll from her, "I'll take care of it."

"We know. If we didn't you wouldn't have it right now. That's one our clans biggest secrets."

Tsunade grinned, "Looks like you've been adopted, Kakashi."

"Oh he's been considered family for a couple of years now," Kimiko stated with a smile. Kakashi seemed uncomfortable with the idea and every one but Sasuke laughed at this.

Sakura arrived a few moment's later, "I'm ready."

"Then we're leaving," Nanami said.

"Naruto and I will come to visit as soon as he's better," Kakashi commented as they walked away.

Nanami smiled and waved over her shoulder, "Alright. We'll have rooms ready for you both."

Sasuke kept an eye on his surroundings as they traveled. Sasuke was surprised when Nanami and Kimiko both decided to just walk instead of run to the compound. Most shinobi were too impatient to take the slow way when they could use chakra to get somewhere quicker. These two seemed to enjoy the walk. Some of it was silent but most of the time Nanami and Kimiko were talking. They would tell the two genin about some of the history in areas they walked through. Other times they would tell Sakura some of the things she would expect during her training. Sasuke didn't say a word but Sakura joined in the conversations by asking questions or making comments. They stopped at one village for lunch but for the most part pasted all the others.

It was well after sundown before they reached the Tsukino compound. A man that Sasuke thought looked familiar walked out with a woman. There wasn't an ounce of fat on the man. He was tall and well built. He had silver hair that brushed his shoulders and sharp gray eyes. The woman was and older version of Nanami. The only difference between the two was this woman had eyes so blue they could have been purple. Both of them smiled at the group.

"Hey guys. I'm back and I've brought some strays with me," Nanami said with a wave.

"I can see one of them is Sasuke but whose the other?" the man asked.

"This is Sakura. I'm going to be training her as a medical nin. I think she has a great deal of potential in that area."

"Welcome to our home. I'm Ayame, Nanami's mother. This is my husband, Setsuna. He's also the head of our clan."

Setsuna's gray eyes focused on Sasuke, "I knew who you were on sight. Your father and I were on the same genin team. He was a good man. From what Nanami tells me you're nothing like him. It's a shame. Fugaku was a good man."

More shame washed through Sasuke at the mention of his father. It seemed intensified because he was surrounded by people who had not only known his father but were also his friends. He couldn't bring himself to look into their eyes. He was afraid he would see the shame and pity in them that his own father would have felt if he saw him now. Then again the reason he was the this way was because his father had been killed. If he was still alive then Sasuke might have turned out differently.

"I'll bring them to the dinning room as soon as they're settled," Nanami told her family. They nodded and headed into the main building. Nanami turned to the two genin, "I'll show you to your rooms."

She showed Sakura to her room first and then Sasuke to his. Nanami followed the boy into the room. She had a sober look on her face and her tone matched, "Here's how things are going to work, Sasuke. You won't go outside the compound walls unless I'm with you. There will be no fighting here. Trust me, everyone in this compound could kick your ass without even trying. You may wonder around the compound as you please but I recommend not going into other people's bedrooms. They wouldn't like that."

"So this is my prison," he said coldly.

"Only if you wish to see it that way. Sasuke, if you want to sit around and sulk all the time that's your business but let me ask you this. Are you really willing to become Itachi in order to kill him? Because that's exactly what you're doing."

He looked away from her. Sasuke had been compared to Itachi his entire life and he had never liked it. Even when Itachi had been a good brother, Sasuke had been struggling to get out from his shadow. Nanami watched him with those dark gray eyes. He wished she would look away. His voice was a growl when he finally responded, "What do you know? Itachi killed my whole family and then used the Mangekyo Sharingan to make me watch. He betrayed me. You don't know what that feels like."

Now Nanami's famous temper decided to make an appearance, "Do you think you're the only one he betrayed? I loved him, Sasuke. He was my best friend and training partner. I trusted him with my life and would have died for him. That night I can guarantee you that I felt just as hurt and betrayed as you did. Your clan was my family too. Your parents were my godparents and I can't remember a time before that night that they weren't a part of my life. So don't tell me I don't know how it feels to be betrayed, Sasuke Uchiha. You're not special when it comes to suffering."

Cold onyx met burning storm cloud eyes. The two had a starting contest for a moment before Sasuke looked away.

"Umm, Nanami?" a hesitant voice came from the doorway. Nanami looked over and saw Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi tried for a smile, "I'm ready."

Nanami drew in a breath to calm herself down. She smiled a little, "Alright. Follow me and we'll go get some dinner."

The two kids followed her silently. Sakura was thinking about what she had heard. It was exactly how she felt about Sasuke. The pink haired kunoichi watched the woman in front of them. She seemed so strong. Not once since meeting her had Nanami complained about anything. Instead she did what needed to be done then moved on. Sakura wondered if doing that was really as easy as Nanami made it seem.

Sasuke's thoughts were grim as usual. It had never crossed his mind that someone else had been just as hurt by Itachi has he had been. Now that he was face to face with someone that had been. It made him wonder how she could stop him from doing what he had to in order to avenge his clan. She claimed to understand yet she was preventing him from getting stronger. Why?

Both genin put their thoughts aside when they entered the room full of people and the smell of food. They hadn't eaten since that lunch around noon. The three shinobi went straight for the food. After filling themselves they went to their beds.

Nanami laid in her bed for several hours just staring at her roof. She hadn't meant to explode that way earlier. She had actually decided no to mention her feelings about Itachi or what he had done but Sasuke had pissed her off. The medic knew she didn't guard her words when angry. Whatever she felt or thought came right out her mouth. Oh well, maybe it was for the best. He apparently hadn't even thought that someone else had suffered just like he had because of Itachi's actions. She fell asleep wondering what he would do next.

* * *

There. I finally finished. Let me know what you think please. 


	5. Fighting for Freedom

I've finally finished the next chapter. While I was reading the original I noticed that Sasuke kind of gave in a little too easily so I made him fight a little harder in this chapter.

Disclaimer: See chapter one

* * *

**Ch. 5: Fighting for Freedom**

The next day Nanami walked into Sasuke's room to find he wasn't there. She grinned and then headed to the library. Sure enough there he was. She leaned against the doorway and watched him. He was browsing through the scrolls and books with a determined look in his eyes. Occasionally he would pull something down for a closer look. Her gray eyes danced in amusement.

"You don't honestly think we would have our clan's secrets out were just anyone could get to them did you?" she asked him.

He jumped in surprise. Sasuke spun around to face her wondering how he had missed her presence there. His tone held the resentment he felt when he saw her, "I'm not looking for clan secrets. Just something to read."

She smiled, "Sure you were. Just so you don't waste your time we left all the scrolls and books regarding our clans secrets in Konoha with Kakashi."

Sasuke tried to pretend like he didn't care but she had seen the flash of rage in his eyes. She chose to ignore it for the moment. He glared at her, "I hate it here. Just let me go."

"Sorry. No can do."

He narrowed his eyes, "You're not sorry are you."

She pretended to consider that for a moment then said, "No, I'm not but it sounded good at the time. Now, I'm going to train Sakura. She should be finished with breakfast by now. If you want to watch feel free. If you want to stay in here and sulk that's okay too."

She felt Sasuke's icy glare on her back as she walked out of the room. Nanami chose to ignore the glare and walked to the training area. When she got there Sakura was waiting for her. The pink haired girl smiled at her then she glanced over the older woman's shoulder. The smile faded. Nanami glanced and saw Sasuke there. He sat down on a bench under a tree. Again, Nanami just ignored him.

"Well, Sakura, let's get started. Now the first thing you need to learn is how to dodge."

Sakura frowned, "I thought I was training to be a medic?"

"You are. What happens to the team if the medic gets killed. Your teammates can't always protect you so you have to learn how to at least dodge attacks effectively."

Sakura nodded in understanding, "Alright. Just tell me what to do."

"It doesn't work that way. You already know what you need to know. The skill just needs to be refined. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to attack you and you have dodge all the attacks. Don't fight back because you're not focusing on fighting me. You're trying to avoid getting hit."

Sakura nodded. Nanami didn't even warn her. She just attacked. The pink haired girl dodged as quickly as possible but it wasn't quick enough. She felt the punch hit her shoulder and she went flying backwards. Nanami didn't give her any time. She kept coming. Sakura was forced to adjust fast or get hit really hard. Nanami wasn't holding back either. She didn't have the same strength as Tsunade so she would survive a hit but it would still hurt. Every punch and kick directed at Sakura held a lot of power and caused a great deal of damage to whatever it came in contact with. Sakura's shoulder had never hurt more than it had right then.

This continued for several hours. When Nanami finally called a halt to the training Sakura collapsed to her hands and knees. She panted for breath and tried to decide if she was still alive. She decided she had to be alive. Her body was too sore for her to be dead. Nanami stood in front of the pink haired girl with her hands on her hips. She didn't even seem winded. Sakura had improved a lot over that small amount of time mostly because she hadn't had a choice. It was get better at dodging or get hit. She looked up at Nanami reproachfully.

"You could at least pretend to be tired. We've been training for five hours straight."

Nanami grinned, "When I was in training my grandmother made me train for ten hours without stop. This was nothing for me. You're lucky that I'm nicer than grandma or we would still be training."

Sakura just stared at her, "Ten hours... Was she trying to kill you!"

"No just teach me." Nanami smiled, "Come on. Let's go get something to eat."

Sakura grinned and Nanami offered her a hand up. The kunoichi took it gratefully. The two turned back to the main house. Sasuke was still sitting on the bench. He had watched the whole thing with interest. Sakura was obviously very serious about getting stronger. The kunoichi hadn't given up or complained. Every time she had gotten hit by Nanami she had gotten right back up and tried again. He would never say it out loud but he was impressed. She had never seemed to be the determined type yet here she was trying with all she had to improve. He shook his head and stood up to follow them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kakashi and Naruto arrived at the compound during dinner a week later. They were welcomed and some introductions were made for Naruto's benefit. Plates full of food were set in front of them and Naruto, of course, dug in cheerfully. There was laughing and chattering everywhere. The Tsukino clan was a very close family and it showed. They even included all of their guest but Sasuke and that was only because he didn't want to be included.

Nanami watched him with a small frown. In the week that Sasuke had been there he was still trying to break free of the seal and join Orochimaru. He had tried to trick some of the people in the Tsukino clan into telling him about the seal but it hadn't worked. They had even stopped talking to him because of it. Nanami and Sakura were the only ones that would talk to him and he avoided both of them. Nanami could tell that Sakura was worried. She wanted to help her friend but he wouldn't let her. The older woman remembered what it had felt like to be in Sakura's place. To want to do something but unable to because the person you wanted to help wouldn't let you. Nanami let out a sigh and stood up.

"I'm finished. If anyone needs me I'll be in the training area."

Everyone acknowledged what she had said then continued eating and talking. Nanami walked into the training area and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful night. Stars littered the sky and the moon was full and bright. Her lips curved into a small smile. It was nice to just take the time to enjoy the view. Nanami's favorite time of day was after sundown. The atmosphere relaxed her. Out here right now she could think clearly. She knew Sasuke would attack her soon. He would come to the conclusion that the only way to break the seal was to fight her. He was wrong of course but he didn't know that.

There was a noise behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and her smile turned into a sad one. Her eyes filled with pain. He walked into the area with a determined look in his eyes. She knew what was coming and didn't like it but there wasn't any way around it. So she turned to face him.

"So you've finally decided to fight me," she stated. "I've been waiting."

"You knew I would," Sasuke stated more than asked.

"Yes. I will fight you but not here. I don't want to mess up my compound. Follow me."

She took him to the same area that he and Naruto had fought in. When she faced him, she had a grim look on her face. He took a fighting stance and activated his sharingan. After a deep breath she took her own fighting stance. Nanami was prepared for anything. The boy in front of her didn't have any reservations. He would kill her if given the opportunity. Even if he was only 13 years old she still had to take him as seriously as she would a jonin. It was a good thing she hadn't trained with Sakura that day. That meant her chakra supplies were full.

Sasuke moved first and he didn't hold back anything. At first, Nanami stayed on the defensive. She wanted time to adjust to his fighting style. It didn't take long. He had been taught by Kakashi who had been her training partner for years. The way he fought was similar to his sensei's. Nanami stayed on the defensive even after that. As a medical nin that was her strong point. Even Kakashi had a hard time hitting her when she didn't want to be hit. She admitted to herself that Sasuke was good. Given some training he could be one of the strongest shinobi to come out of the Leaf Village since his older brother. Sasuke used up quite a bit of power trying to hit her. He was starting to get frustrated because nothing seemed to connect. Then he used the Katon: Housenka no Jutsu and could have sworn one of the fire balls hit her. He grinned in success. The smoke cleared and she was standing on a rock without a scratch on her. She smirked at his shocked face.

"Is that all you've got, Sasuke? You're nothing compared to Itachi," Nanami stated. "My turn."

She attacked. Sasuke dodged some of them but many still made it through. It didn't take him long to figure out that she out matched him in speed and strength. Not only that but every time she touched him something got damaged because she was using her medical chakra to injure his body. Nanami knocked him up into the air with a punch then jumped up and kicked him hard in the stomach. The kick sent him crashing into the water below. The medic landed on a rock and waited. Sasuke jumped out of the water and landed several yard away from her.

"Sasuke, face it. I've got you beat all around. I have more speed, strength and, at the moment, chakra than you do. Not to mention several years more experience and training. You have a long way to go before you can even compare to a jonin at my level."

"Humble aren't you," he spat sarcastically.

"No. I don't see a point in being humble. If I'm good I'll admit it. Like it or not, Sasuke Uchiha, I'm better than you. I rank right up there with Kakashi and Guy. You're bother even has a hard time fighting me. You don't stand a chance with me in a fair fight and you know it."

Sasuke glared at her. He didn't want that to be true but it was. Her experience made her better than him. Kakashi had told him that the best way to get better was to live longer. Even if he had more strength or speed than Nanami she still had the upper hand. Anything he used she had probably seen before and knew a way around it. It didn't help that she already knew his technique and how to get around it because she trained with Kakashi and his brother. That just left him with one option, the curse seal. The power flowed through him and he grinned.

Nanami watched the black chakra begin to form around him like a fire with dread. She knew this was coming and had prepared for it. That didn't mean she had to like it. When he charged at her, she drew in a deep breath and concentrated on the seal she had placed on him. Her eyes snapped open and she shouted, "Stop!"

He froze. She could see that he was fighting it but didn't give him time to see if he could break it. Her fist connected with his face and sent him flying. He stood and ran at her again but this time he was performing hand signs for his fire jutsu. Nanami began forming her own hand signs. Her eyes never left Sasuke's. When she formed the last hand sign she grinned. Sasuke suddenly froze. She walked towards him and he was forced to do the same. He was fighting the jutsu with all his strength. She fought to hold it in place. Once she had him within reach she simply reached out and knocked him out.

"I win," she said sadly. She stumbled slightly when she tried to walk. Someone caught her. Nanami glanced over her shoulder to see her father there. She smiled, "Thanks."

Kakashi was there and picked Sasuke up, "Let's hope he doesn't try this again."

"Oh, he will. Frequently. I just hope I can survive all the attacks until he finally begins to see what everyone is trying to show him," Nanami stated.

"Just to make sure that you are, I want to take over Sakura's training. That way you'll always have a full supply of chakra," Setsuna said in a determined tone. Nanami knew that meant she wouldn't be able to talk him out of it. Instead she smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

She took a step towards the compound then began to fall and she lost consciousness. Her father caught her with a curse, "Damn it, she used the seal. She should know better than to do that when she's already used up a lot of chakra on other things. That justu is draining."

"I think she more worried about Sasuke than her own health," Kakashi stated calmly.

"Let's get them both back to the compound. They'll need rest and, in Sasuke's case, treatment," Setsuna ordered after a sigh. The two jonin took off to the compound to see to the two unconscious shinobi.

Sasuke woke up the next day. When he sat up he saw Kakashi standing next to his bed. The jonin smiled, "You're awake. Good."

"What happened?"

"Nanami knocked you out...again. She seems to be developing a bad habit of that where you're concerned. Though you should be smart enough not to challenge a jonin at her level."

Sasuke looked down at his fists in his lap, "I hit her."

"I'm sure you did but that doesn't matter. Have you forgotten that she's been trained as a medical nin since she was five years old? Without more training you don't have a prayer of getting a scratch on her much less beat her."

"I'm trying to get more training but no one will let me go," Sasuke growled.

"So we should just let you become the enemy? We should just stand by while you run off and join Orochimaru without considering how we'll feel the day we meet again?" Sasuke didn't know what to say to that so he didn't say anything. Kakashi continued, "We should let you become Itachi incarnate?"

"I'm nothing like him!" Sasuke shouted. He was really getting tired of people telling him that.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, "Oh really. I believe Nanami has already pointed out all the ways you're just like Itachi."

"What does she know?" the boy demanded.

"Considering she had been engaged to Itachi and lived with the Uchiha clan for several years I'd say she knows plenty about it. You do know that she was just as hurt as you were by what Itachi did. She's also been the one taking care of your money and made sure you had everything you needed. She's kept close tabs on you since the night Itachi left. She knows every move you've made for as long as you can probably remember. There's very little about you or Itachi she doesn't know."

"Then why won't she let me go? If she felt the same then she should want me to avenge my clan," Sasuke demanded.

Kakashi shook his head, "You don't understand. She's not trying to stop you from getting your revenge. She's trying to stop you from becoming the enemy. She's trying to keep you from doing to Sakura and Naruto what Itachi had done to her. Nanami loved your brother. When he killed your clan and left to join the Akatsuki she fell apart. Why do you think she trained so hard. She wants to get Itachi just as much as you do. She's just not willing to sacrifice everything for it because to her Itachi's not worth that price."

Sasuke stared down at his fists in anger. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want to listen to anything that made his choice the wrong one. Itachi had to pay for what he had done. That meant Sasuke had to get stronger. The only way for him to do that was to join Orochimaru. The snake might be evil but he could still make him stronger. It didn't matter what anyone else said...right?

Kakashi knew what Sasuke was thinking and said calmly, "You do realize that at this point Nanami is the only one who has ever come close to beating Itachi right?"

Sasuke glared, "What's your point?"

"Oh nothing much. Just that Orochimaru isn't the only one who can train you. Nanami does know Itachi's fighting style better than anyone including the snake. If you quit being so righteous thinking that the only person who could possibly be right is you then you would realize that she could train you just as well as Orochimaru."

Sasuke's head jerked up and had glared at the copy ninja. Kakashi didn't seem affected by it at all. He just calmly walked out of the room without a backward glance. Sasuke continued to glare at the door after it had been closed like the door cared if he glared a hole through it. That's when he realized that this was the first time Nanami hadn't been there when he woke up. He wondered why and got up.

He stood outside the door of her room and hesitated. Did it really matter why? He didn't care what had happened to her. Then he heard voices inside so he open the door just enough to see inside. Kimiko and Sakura were inside and the latter looked worried. Nanami was laying on the bed but wasn't moving. Kimiko as sitting on the edge of the bed and seemed to be checking Nanami for any serious injuries.

"Is she going to be alright, Kimiko-san?"

"Of course she will be. It will just take some time for her to recover. The sealing jutsu she used requires a lot of chakra. She'll be passed out for a day or two but she'll be fine."

"Will she be able to keep this up?" Sakura asked.

"What do you mean dear?" Kimiko asked.

"If she's passed out from him fighting the seal like this what will happen when he tries again. Sasuke-kun won't give up. He'll fight again but this time he'll fight harder."

"Nanami will do what she has to. He may fight harder but so will she."

"But, Kimiko-san, she's not willing to kill him. Sasuke-kun doesn't have any reservations. What if he can fight longer than Nanami can?"

Kimiko sighed, "Then she'll die."

Sakura's eyes widened, "What!"

"If the seal on Sasuke is removed by anyone other than Nanami then it will kill her. That is the price of the seal."

"Why didn't you say so! She has to remove the seal. Sasuke could kill her," Sakura demanded.

Kimiko shook her head, "She won't remove it. Nanami wants to show him that becoming the enemy isn't the only way to become strong. No one, not even I, can talk her out of it."

"But..." Sakura trailed off and let out a sigh, "You're right. Nothing will change her mind."

"She gets that from her mother's side of the family. There isn't anyone that stubborn in our clan," Kimiko stated. Sakura felt the smile tug at her lips. This was coming from one of the most stubborn women she knew.

"I just hope everything turns out alright."

Sasuke walked back to his room and sat on his bed. To free himself would kill the girl who had imprisoned him. Why did that seem like a bad thing? She was in his way so why should he care about her? The answer was he shouldn't...but he did. He looked out the window and considered everything everyone had been telling him for years. Kimiko said Nanami would wake up in about two days. He would be ready then.

* * *

That's it. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. please review


	6. A Change of Mind

I've finally finished this chapter. Now i'll get to work on the next chapter. Enjoy

Disclaimer: (sniffles) I won't say it again. If you just have to have one see the prologue

* * *

**Ch. 6: A Change of Mind**

Nanami wasn't happy. She hated being bed ridden and no one would let her get up. Her chakra and body still hadn't fully recovered from using the seal on Sasuke while he was in full curse seal mode. She had been out for a two days and had just woken up that morning and they were already torturing her. The girl grumbled darkly about the things she would do to certain friends just as soon as they let her get up. She looked down at the scroll she was studying. Kimiko had decided that since she couldn't leave her bed she should catch up on her studies. Nanami had spent the last six years concentrated on her fighting skills so she neglected her medical studies. Kimiko decided now was a good time to remedy that. Nanami couldn't argue with her.

The door to her room opened and Nanami looked over at it. Sasuke walked in and shut the door behind him. She watched him carefully. The medic didn't thing that he would stoop to attacking her when she was injured but there was always a chance. If there was ever a good time for him to try to escape, now would be it. He sat down next to the bed and looked into her eyes. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Nanami couldn't take it for very long.

"Did you want something, Sasuke?" she asked carefully.

"Why are you trying so hard to change my mind? I heard about the seal. If I manage to break it you'll die."

She looked him dead in the eyes. He was listening now. She could see it. Letting hope begin to form, she answered him, "There are a lot of reasons but the most important one is that I didn't want you to become Itachi. He gave up everything for god knows what and we were the ones left to suffer for his choice. He didn't stop to consider our feeling or if he did he didn't care. I didn't want you to one day look into a mirror and see your brother staring back at you."

Sasuke seemed to actually consider what she said much to Nanami's amazement. She was tempted to check him for a fever but was afraid that would ruin everything. His dark eyes looked at the mirror on her dresser across the room. He just stared at his reflection for a moment. The young medic was tempted to ask what he saw but again she didn't want to make him angry. Sasuke was listening now and she didn't want him to quit. It seemed like hours had past until his dark eyes focused back on her. After a moment he stood up and walked out of the room. Nanami wondered what that was all about but shrugged it off.

A week later she was standing in a clearing that she used to meet Itachi in. The two had spent hours there. He listened to her talk and occasionally talking himself though there was never much of that. He would help her train here. This was the place where she received her first kiss from him. She had avoided this place since the day he had left. It was too painful to stand here and remember all the lies that were her happy memories.

"I used to come here with Itachi before that night."

Sasuke walked out of the trees and looked around, "Why are you here?"

"I don't know. I went for a walk and this was where I ended up. I love and hate this place. Everything he did here with me was a lie. He never really cared but I had been happy with him."

Sasuke watched her for a moment. She hadn't turned to face him. She was looking at the waterfall with a bittersweet smile. Her storm cloud eyes held both pain and happiness. He had almost done this to those who cared about him. He had almost put that look in Sakura's and Naruto's eyes. Could he live with himself if he did put that bittersweet smile on their face?

"I think I need to reconsider my decision."

She tilted her head, "Which one?"

"To join Orochimaru. I still want to avenge my clan."

"Can I ask what brought this on?"

He looked at his reflection in the water, "I don't know. I just looked in the mirror and realized that I saw Itachi's eyes on my face. They had nothing but hatred in them and that made me think."

She smiled, "So you had an epiphany."

Sasuke just nodded to that. He looked her in the eyes again, "I want to know what will happen now. Even though I agree that I can't join Orochimaru I still have to get stronger. I still want to avenge my clan."

She grinned, "Oh, that's and easy problem to solve. I'll train you myself."

He nodded, "Alright."

Nanami was thrilled. Apparently there was some truth to the phrase 'beat some sense into someone'. If she hadn't known that all she had to do to make Sasuke think about his choice was fight him then she would have done it along time ago. She smiled, "I'm glad that you've changed your mind."

He looked back at her, "Oddly enough, so am I."

His training started the next day. By the end of the day Sasuke decided that she was a slave driver. Between her and Kakashi his whole body felt as if he'd been hit with a ton of bricks. When he grumbled about it Nanami had laughed and told him that it was only the beginning. He had said something like 'lucky me' and got back up.

It was a few weeks later when Shikamaru arrived and told them that Gaara's student had been kidnapped. Suna had asked for their help. Nanami had refused to go. She told Shikamaru to take Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. He nodded and the four genin left. Nanami worried about it but she knew that they had to do this. All three of them had to see what they were capable of without the help of the jonin. So Nanami sat at home and twiddled her thumbs while waiting nervously for the battle to end. The group arrived at the Tsukino compound. They were battered and bruised but they were all alright. Naruto was the most damaged as usual. Nanami treated them all and they were given a place to stay on the compound.

That night she was sitting across from Kakashi and they were discussing what to do now. Naruto would be leaving the next day with Jiraiya to train and there was no telling how long they would be gone. They also needed to start Sasuke's training. Nanami had a few ideas where that was concerned.

"I think we'll travel around for a while."

Kakashi looked over at her, "What kind of training do you have in mind?"

"I'm going to have him fight people with different fighting styles. That way he can adapt quickly and he will improve his own style while he's at it."

The copy ninja nodded, "That is very true. I'll have to stay here so you'll have to take care of him."

"I know. I think he's finally made a turn for the better," she said with a smile. "He won't become Itachi now. Now I have to keep my end of the bargain. I will help Sasuke become stronger so that he can avenge his clan."

"Are you okay with that?" he asked.

She blinked, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"To avenge his clan he'll have to kill Itachi. Are you sure you're fine with that?"

Nanami looked up at the stars, "I have to be, Kakashi. I don't think I could survive if I was still in love with him. He betrayed everyone including me and murdered the people who were my second family. So yes I'll be fine with it because I have no choice but to be."

Kakashi watched her then looked up at the stars, "For your sake I hope you're right."

In a window above them Sasuke also looked up. She was going to train him to kill the man she had once loved. Was it really that easy for her? The look in her eyes when she stood in that clearing flashed through his head and he knew it wasn't. She would help him but not because she wanted to. Nanami helped him to prevent history from repeating itself. She didn't want anyone else to have to be like her. The medic didn't want his friends to have to pretend that they hated him when they didn't. She didn't want them to have to hunt for his life when they still cared about him. If preventing this meant teaching him how to kill Itachi then so be it. Sasuke looked at the stars.

The all were at Konoha two days later. The group said good bye to the sand sibling and Matsuri. Naruto and Jiraiya left a few hours later. Nanami, Kakashi, and Sakura were sitting at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Nanami was telling Sakura that Tsunade would be taking over her training though she was more than welcome to go to the Tsukino compound if she wanted to. Nanami would be leaving the next day with Sasuke to begin his training. She had no idea how long they would be gone so they each packed one bag with what they would need for an extended trip.

The next morning Nanami and Sasuke headed out. The two of them waved good bye to their friends and disappeared down the road. Sakura stood there watching until they were out of sight. She was going to miss the two of them. Nanami and her practical mind loaded with advice for all sorts of problems. Sasuke with his quiet strength and odd way of caring for those around him. A determined look came into her emerald eyes. She would have to get stronger too. After all, she couldn't let Naruto and Sasuke do all the work. She had promised to do all she could to help Sasuke and she had meant it. Sakura would make sure that he didn't regret staying no matter what it took. She would prove to him that he didn't need Orochimaru because he had his team...Team 7.

"So they've left the village?" a man with crimson eyes asked his partner.

"It would seem so. They left this morning. From what I gather she wants to train the boy to fight several different styles," the shark faced man replied.

Crimson eyes focused on the rising sun. So Sasuke was going to train with the one person who could make the boy strong enough to kill him. How ironic that the woman training him was the same one that had once said she loved him. He wondered if she still had any feelings for him. Probably not. She would be a fool to and Nanami was anything but a fool. If only... No he couldn't think about that. He had made his choice and there was no going back. He had given up any chance he had for that life.

Itachi turned and started walking away from the village he had grown up in. It took all his will power to keep from looking back. Kisame walked right behind him wondering how long Itachi would fool himself. The shark man knew he had to do something or, when the time came, his partner would let Sasuke kill him. He only had until the girl finished training Sasuke to come up with a way to save Itachi from himself. He made a mental note to keep an eye of them while they trained.

_--A few months later--_

CRASH!! Birds scattered at the sound of someone being thrown through branches. A boy with dark hair and eyes pushed himself up with a great deal of effort. His body was screaming at him to stay down. Why in the hell was he continuing to torture himself by getting back up when he could stay down and rest? He got up anyway and gasped for breath as he faced his opponent. She was facing him with her hands on her hips. Her gray eyes held a question. His answer was to attack again.

They had been doing this for several hours now and she had barely broken a sweat. On the other hand he was barely managing to breath properly and his body was aching more that it ever had. He wanted to hit her for that alone. She could at least make it look like she was having a hard time. As far as he could tell she was barely trying and he was still getting his ass kicked. It didn't take long for him to get tossed onto his ass again. CRASH!! He forced himself to get back up with a groan while she stood there with an amused look on her face. That made him want to hit her even more. How could she just stand there laughing at him while beating the crap out of him? It just wasn't right. So he stood up and ran at her again. She merely dodged and kicked him which sent him flying again.

"I think we should quit for a few hours. Your attacks are starting to get sluggish and wild. That means you need a break, Sasuke," she stated while he forced himself back up.

His dark eyes narrowed. He didn't want to admit it but she was right. He needed to rest for a little while. So he sat back down on the ground and grumbled, "I suppose you're right."

She smiled, "Of course I am."

"Not very modest are you, Nanami?" he commented sarcastically.

She pretended to think about it for a moment, "Not really, no."

Nanami sat down next to him. She pulled some sandwiches out of her bag and the two of them ate in relative silence. Sasuke looked at his trainer. She was looking around them with some interest. His eyes darted around but he didn't see what she found so interesting. He looked back at her, "What's so interesting?"

"Hmm? Oh I was just looking at the forest."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"It doesn't have any purpose," he replied with a little confusion.

She shook her head at him, "Sasuke, not everything you do has to have a purpose. You could just look at the forest to enjoy the peace or beauty of the world around you."

The Uchiha considered this then looked at the forest again. This time he took his time to see everything going on around him. There was a doe with her young one getting water a few yard away. A family of rabbits played in a flower bed. The wind was dancing through the trees making music that sounded better than anything human made. Sunlight streamed through the leaves forming breathtaking patterns of light everywhere. His dark eyes turned back to Nanami.

"I guess you're right."

"I'll say it again. Of course I am."

He smirked and finished off his sandwich. Sasuke stood and looked around them, "Where are we going anyway?"

"To Kirigakure. A few of the jonin there owe me so I can ask them to train with us. The purpose of this is to improve your skills and how quickly you adapt to other fighting styles. So I will have you train with as many different people as possible."

"Makes sense. How far away are we?"

"We should be there tomorrow. That is if you're still able to walk after our sparing matches," she replied with a smirk of her own.

His eyes narrowed, "Of course I can still walk."

"Then let's get going."

They did make it to Kirigakure the next morning. Several of the jonin were more than happy to welcome Nanami. It didn't take Sasuke long to figure out that she had saved a lot of them on more than one occasion. They also agreed to help her train Sasuke to repay the debt they owed her. Sasuke let out a sigh. He could tell that he was going to become very familiar with the dirt over the next few years. That knowledge was enough to make him want to turn around and run off. He stood his ground though. This is what he had to do to get stronger. He would take every punch and kick thrown at him. Sasuke stood across from one of the water shinobi on their training field. Both of them were in a fighting stance. When Nanami gave the signal the two fighters charged. About two minutes later Sasuke was sent flying. He rubbed at his jaw. Yup. He would take every punch to get stronger but that didn't mean he had to like it.

* * *

That's it. I hope you liked it. Now I'm going to ask you guys for your opinion. Would you like to see more of their training during the three years or should I skip to their return to Konoha?


	7. Reunions

Yeah!! I finally finished this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm sorry it took so long getting it up. I'm working on another story that I'm making up all my very own. That and my finals are next week so I've been very busy.

Disclaimer: I no own Naruto or any of the characters except Nanami and her clan. I made her up.

* * *

**Ch. 7: Reunions**

"Hey Sakura," yelled the familiar voice of everyone's favorite hyperactive knucklehead.

The pink haired kunoichi turned and saw Naruto running up to her with Jiraiya right behind him. She smiled and ran to meet him. "We've missed you. The place has been so quiet since you left it was driving everyone crazy," she told him smiling.

"Are you saying that I'm loud?" he asked in mock insult.

Sakura smiled at him, "Yup."

He laughed and turned to the girl standing next to Sakura. Hinata had grown over the years and was now a lot stronger. She even stopped stuttering when talking to other people. Naruto was still completely unaware of her feelings for him. Though the blush should have been a dead give away. Naruto ran over to her and hugged her like he had Sakura.

"Hey Hinata. I've missed you too." Naruto stepped back and said, "Actually, I've missed everybody."

"We missed you too, Naruto-kun. Sakura is right. It was very quiet around here," she said in her quiet voice.

"Will you two get a room or something," said Jiraiya.

Hinata turned as red as a tomato at his comment. Naruto turned and glared at him, "It's not like that you pervert."

"Sure it isn't."

"Pervy sage I'm going to beat you in a minute if you don't shut up."

"I told you not to call me that."

Sakura laughed at them, "I see you two haven't changed. Now all we have to do is wait on Nanami and Sasuke to get back."

* * *

Sasuke was panting. He had improved. Even he could tell that. There was a time that he would have already fallen down. Granted he was still on the losing end but he had actually made his trainer break a sweat and that was saying quite a bit. He remembered a time when she had kicked him around during training with as much effort as she would flick a fly. Sasuke steadied himself and waited for her to attack again. She didn't. Instead she plopped down on the ground with a big sigh.

"I don't know about you but I'm starving. Let's eat some lunch, Sasuke."

He blinked in surprise. "We're not done. I can still stand."

"But if we go until you can't stand then you won't be able to eat."

"That never stopped you before, Nanami."

She smiled, "You were in a hurry to improve then. You're not now."

He considered what she had said and realized that she was right. His driving need to become stronger wasn't as powerful anymore. He still wanted to get stronger but wasn't all he wanted anymore. Now he knew that power wasn't the only way to win. If that was the case he wouldn't still be losing to Nanami. He was stronger than she was now. The thing that allowed her to keep winning was that Nanami didn't just use her strength. She outsmarted him a lot during their sparing matches which forced him to think and act as quickly as she could.

"I suppose you're right and I am hungry," he agreed and sat down.

Nanami smiled at him. Sasuke had grown quite a bit in the last three year but he didn't look that different. He was taller than her now which wasn't surprising since she only came to Kakashi's shoulder. He now wore the outfits jounin usually had. Those were the only obvious changes. He had also matured a great deal since he was thirteen. She hoped that it was enough for the life he would have to live.

* * *

Sakura was waiting at the gate of Konoha. She had been training hard with Tsunade and had become a lot stronger. She was now the best medical nin in Konoha. Well the best until Nanami came back but that was expected. Healing was the Tsukino clan's specialty after all.

She looked down the road for any signs of them and sighed when she didn't see any. Naruto had left with Jiraiya to train and Sasuke and Nanami had left for the same reason. Jiraiya was going to make sure that Naruto could defend himself against Itachi when the time came. Nanami was exposing Sasuke to as many fighting styles as possible.

Jiraiya and Naruto had returned a few days ago. Nanami had sent a letter to let everyone know that they would be coming back today. So now Sakura was waiting for them at the gate and she would stay there all day if she had to. She couldn't wait because she hadn't seen any of them in three years. She missed them especially Sasuke.

Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata, and Jiraiya were standing nest to her as they all waited for their friends to return. Then they all heard someone shout, "We're back!"

They all turned and saw Nanami and Sasuke walking up to them. Well Sasuke was walking and Nanami was running and waving cheerfully at them.

"Nanami, you're back," Naruto said as he smiled at them.

"Yup," the medical nin said cheerfully.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled. She ran up to him and hugged him. It surprised her when she felt an arm wrap around her waist.

Nanami smiled at the two. The moment Sakura had come into view Sasuke had picked up his pace. It was obvious to her that he had missed the pink haired kunoichi. He was after all holding her even if it was with only one arm. His other arm was still at his side with his hand in his pocket. 'Not that he would ever admit it to anyone,' she thought. 'Not even to himself.'

"So what's changed since we've left?" Nanami asked.

"Neji finally figured out that Tenten loved him and they started dating," Hinata responded.

"It's about time," Nanami said emphatically.

Sakura said, "Me and Ino are friends again."

Naruto looked shocked. He hadn't known about that and somehow he thought he should have. "What inspired this change?"

To everyone's surprise Sakura began to laugh, "Did you know that it was possible for Shikamaru to get angry?"

"No. I thought he would think it was too much effort or… What is he always saying? Oh right, too troublesome," Nanami said.

Sakura smiled, "Well Ino managed to make him angry and he told her how he felt while he was ranting. Now they're dating. Beens the reason we weren't friends doesn't exist anymore we started being friends again."

"How did she manage to make him angry?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"She compared him to Sasuke one to many times and he finally got sick of it," Sakura said.

They all laughed except Sasuke who just smirked.

"Alright let's get you guys home so you can rest."

The next day team 7 trained together for the first time in three years. They faced Kakashi and Nanami. The fight lasted nearly the entire night but all three of them managed to get a bell from both of the jonin. As a reward they were treated to a free dinner and a entire day off to relax and catch up on old times.

It was around noon when the request for help came from Suna. Tsunade sent team 7 along with Nanami. They arrived the next day and met with the man who used to be Gaara' sensei, Baki.

"What's happened?" Nanami asked him.

"Gaara has been kidnapped."

The four leaf shinobi looked shocked. "Who had the power to capture Gaara?" Sakura asked in wonder.

"We believe they're called the Akatsuki. We couldn't get a good look though because the battle took place in the air." Baki told them everything he knew. He was just finishing when a group of sand shinobi came into the village carrying Kankuro.

The two medical nins rushed to his side. Nanami looked at Sakura, "You take care of him. I'm going to get more information on what's going on."

Sakura's eyes widened, "But Nanami..."

"You'll be fine. Just trust your training. I'll be back in a few hours." Nanami turned to Baki, "Tell me everything."

The rest of the group went to the hospital to wait to see if Kankuro would survive. An old lady named Chiyo attacked Kakashi because she thought he was his father. She helped Sakura while she did her best to save Kankuro's life. It took sever hours but they were able to save Kankuro. Sakura made an antidote to the poison used on the puppeteer and he was now sleeping. Everyone was relieved.

Nanami returned and told them what she found out about the two people who had attacked Suna. "One of them uses clay bombs," she stated while holding up pieces of clay she had found on the some of the men that were killed. "The other is a puppeteer that use to live in Suna. He's Chiyo's grandson."

The old woman looked away, "I was afraid of that."

Nanami placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. She looked at the rest of the group, "Kakashi sent out Pakkun to track them so we'll know where they went soon enough."

Everyone nodded. After a minor argument with Naruto they agreed to go get some sleep. Sasuke caught up with Nanami while they walked towards their rooms. "Isn't the Akatsuki the same group Itachi joined?"

"I was wondering how long until you thought about that."

"I thought about it the first time they mentioned it. This is just the first time I had a chance to confirm it."

"Yes it's the same group. We might end up fighting him sooner than expected."

Sasuke looked at her, "Are you okay with that?"

She smiled, "Yes."

He looked away unconvinced. She kept saying that but he still didn't believe it. In fact, no one believed it. They all suspected that Nanami still had feelings for his brother but she always disagreed...emphatically. He just hoped she wasn't doing something that she would regret.

The slept as well as they could then left the next morning. Chiyo went with them because she wanted to help them deal with her grandson. While they traveled the old woman told them about the jinchūriki. Sakura and Sasuke frowned as a couple of things began to make sense, like why Itachi was after Naruto. The group entered a clearing and standing in the center of it was the person they had been afraid to see again.

A barely audible whisper came from Nanami, "Itachi."

"Get out of our way," Naruto demanded.

Instead of answering Itachi looked over at Nanami. She glared. He smirked, "Hello. Nice to see you again."

"The feeling is not mutual, bastard," she retorted.

"Now that's not nice."

"I'll let you know when I care."

He continued to smirk as he looked at Naruto. He lifted his hand and pointed at the fox, "You won't get away this time."

"We'll see about that," Naruto stated as he charged.

He didn't make it very far. Odd things began to happen that terrified him. He figured out that he was in a genjutsu after heads started popping out of his body. He came out of it when Sakura and Chiyo forced some of their chakra into him.

Itachi was little annoyed that Naruto had been freed. Then he looked at Sasuke. "Hello, little brother."

Sasuke's Sharingan was active and he glared at his brother with absolute hatred. His whole body was prepared to attack but Nanami wasn't letting him. He chose not to pull away. The mission came first at the moment. Besides, it was a bad idea to fight someone of Itachi's strength when his emotions were in turmoil. So he sat back and watched.

Nanami let go of Sasuke and moved in front of him forcing Itachi to look at her. "You have no right to talk to him, Itachi."

"He is my brother."

"I don't care. Leave him alone. You've hurt him enough."

"I suppose you're right. But then I don't care, do I?" There was an odd note in Itachi's voice that none of them could identify. "Now what are you going to do? You can't win."

Nanami looked him dead in the eyes. "I'll fight you. That gives nothing away and I can hold you off for a few hours."

Sasuke jerked his eyes towards her, "No."

"There's no other choice, Sasuke," she stated calmly.

"There has to be. Let me fight him. I want to be the one to avenge my clan anyway."

She shook her head, "The mission must be finished or Itachi wins. I'm the only one he gains nothing from by fighting. He still doesn't know how good you are. Let's keep it that way until you have time to fight him to the end."

"He could kill you," Kakashi stated. He was just as worried as Sasuke was. For both of them Nanami was their only family. It didn't sit well with them to let her risk herself for any reason.

"I know. That's a risk that I'll have to take." She grinned, "Don't worry so much. If things get real bad I'll turn and run. Pride is not an issue for me and you know that. Besides, it's the best option. You guys run ahead and I'll keep him occupied. He'll be too busy fighting me to stop you."

They nodded their heads in reluctant agreement. She was right. They couldn't fight him because it would give away their skills. Nanami didn't have to worry about that because Itachi already knew about hers. They were evenly matched since she knew his and would be capable of holding him off. They just hoped Itachi was feeling merciful if something went wrong. They ran. Itachi started to move to block them but Nanami attacked. He was forced to defend himself and let the group go.

The fought for what seemed like hours. Itachi knew he was holding back. No matter how many times he tried he couldn't bring himself to attack her with all he had. Those accusing gray eyes always seemed to make him pull his punches just when he's about to connect. Nanami didn't seem to be having the same problem. Every attack she made left a bruise he knew would hurt tomorrow.

Nanami was having problems. She kept wanting to hold back so that she wouldn't hurt him too much. The difference was she had a weapon against such impulses. She just kept picturing the bodies of the Uchiha clan and Sasuke's sad eyes every time the compulsion to be merciful came over her. If anything those images made her punches stronger.

He saw his opening and took it. Nanami found herself pinned to a tree with Itachi's hand on her throat. She closed her eyes and waited for him to kill her. It didn't happen. She opened her eyes and saw his dark eyes looked at her in confusion.

"I don't understand," he whispered to himself. "I can't kill you."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her mind and body chose that moment to notice how close Itachi was to her. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her breath came in short gasps and it wasn't just the fighting that made that caused it. Her skin seemed to burn where he touched it but she wasn't sure it was painful. He just continued to stare at her with those dark eyes that she always lost herself in.

"Itachi?" she said in confusion.

"Why? I lost my heart a long time ago and yet..." he trailed off as he stepped away from her.

Nanami let out a relieved breath. She watched him warily, "That's it? You're going to just let me go?"

"I can't kill you."

"What are you talking about? You can kill your family but you can't kill me? That makes perfect sense, Itachi."

His eyes flashed red and Nanami found herself pinned again. She made a mental note to be more careful about her temper. She tended to say things that got her into trouble, like now. Itachi was glaring now and she was afraid he had suddenly developed the ability to kill her.

"What makes you so sure I killed them? You weren't even there," he demanded.

"Sasuke saw you standing over your father's body. You used the Mangekyo Sharingan to show him your clan's death. It helps that you told him you killed them."

"But he never saw me do it. Did he?"

She blinked. Now that he mentioned it, Sasuke hadn't actually seen Itachi do anything. She frowned, "What difference does it make, Itachi? Did you or did you not kill your clan?"

He closed his eyes, "Yes."

"Then why are we having this argument?"

He looked down at her. For a moment he thought about telling her the truth. Who would know? He shook his head. It was too much of a risk. They would destroy him if he gave away the truth. All he could do was continue to lie. He turned to leave.

Nanami knew he wasn't telling her everything. She rushed forward, "Don't you dare, Itachi. You hint at something other than what we were told and then just leave it at that. You're such a bastard. Why? Why can't you tell me anything?"

"They'll kill him."

"Who will kill who? Itachi, I don't understand. Give me something here."

"No."

She balled up a fist and would have used it on him but he turned around. The look in his eyes made her freeze. He looked so frustrated and angry that it tore at her heart. What in the world was going on here? This man was more confusing that maze. One moment he was on the verge of telling her he hadn't killed his clan. The next moment he was telling her he had. Would he make up his mind?

He moved closer so that his mouth was just beside her ear and whispered, "All you need to know is that I'm the enemy. I'll always be the enemy. So when the next time we meet you'll have to destroy me." He shifted so that his lips pressed against hers.

For the third time in her life Itachi kissed her then he was gone. She stood there for a moment in complete shock. What in the hell was going on?

* * *

That's it for now. I'll try to get the next one up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think. In other words please review.


	8. New Teammates

Here's the next chapter. Just so you know Nanami's kekkei genkai has a name finally. It's called the Chiyubodi. Don't ask me what it means cause I didn't come up with it. My sister named it. Speaking of which she is writing a sequel based off the original version of the story. There are a few things from this one in it but not many. If you like this story or the original I recommend reading her sequel. Very good. I'll let you get to the story now.

Disclaimer: I no own Naruto or any of the characters. I just own Nanami and her clan

* * *

**Ch. 8: New Teammates**

Nanami caught up to the others shortly after they had managed to get Gaara. A wave of grief washed over her. For a medic death was the ultimate enemy. It was and insult to them because it was the one thing they could never cure. Sakura was standing next to the unemotional Sasuke with tears streaming down her face. Kakashi had a sad look in his eyes as he looked at the Kazekage's body.

Naruto was effected the worse by these events because he had shared a bond with Gaara that no one else could understand. Both of them had suffered as children for something beyond their control. Their villages had shunned them and no one had ever believed they could amount to anything. Now one of them had become something. Gaara had made it to Kazekage and now he was dead. Naruto would view that as an insult but not for the same reasons as Nanami and Sakura. Gaara had suffered all through life and had finally gotten a moment of happiness only to have it snatched away. That was the insult Naruto saw. The fox ranted. He blamed Suna and mostly he blamed Chiyo.

The old woman looked at his angry and sad face then back at Gaara. She walked over and knelt beside him. She began to use a jutsu that had the two leaf medics gasping in shock. They explained to Naruto what Chiyo was doing. When she started to run low on chakra Naruto gave her some of his. They were approaching the point of no return.

"Are you sure about this, Chiyo-sama?" Nanami asked the old woman before it was too late for her to change her mind.

"Yes. Maybe it's time I start caring for the future of our village even a little. It's time I do the right thing for once."

Nanami nodded, "Alright."

Gaara woke up and everyone was there to greet him. There was a grand funeral for Chiyo and the leaf shinobi stayed for three days to help Suna repair the damage done to the village. Nanami worked hard to exhaust herself everyday. She wanted to be very tired when she went to bed so that she wouldn't think. She didn't want to wonder about Itachi and the hints of his innocents. The medic knew that if she allowed herself to hope that he hadn't killed his clan then she would break. She had promised herself that she would never cry for him again and she intended to keep that promise even if it killed her.

Sasuke walked up to her as she stood on a roof staring at the stars. He braces himself against the small wall in front of them. Nanami was sitting on that wall with her legs dangling off the side. She glanced at him and waited for him to speak.

"What's bothering you, Nanami?"

She looked up at the stars again, "It's nothing."

"Don't give me that bullshit. I know you. Something happened. What was it?"

Nanami looked back at him, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Alright. Itachi said a few things that confused me." The look he gave her told her she had better elaborate. She sighed and continued, "Some of the things he said didn't mesh with what we believed of him. For a moment I thought he was going to tell me he hadn't killed your clan but then he said he had. He mentioned about someone killing someone else if he didn't do as they said."

He looked down at the street below, "Do you think he did it?"

She stood up on the roof and began to pace. "I want to say no."

He looked at her in shock.

"That's what I want to say, Sasuke. For all his faults and issues I loved him once. I don't want to believe that I could love a cold blooded murder." She stopped pacing and looked at him with a bittersweet expression, "But to believe that he was innocent would be a fantasy. We have the facts. He was seen by your father just seconds after he had died. Then there's the use of his Mongekyo Sharingan on you. Oh, and we can't forget that he told me that he had killed his clan a few days ago while fighting him. I stopped believing in fantasies a long time ago."

He watched her as she began to pace restlessly again. She was battling an inner demon and the demon's name was Itachi. Nanami frequently admitting to once loving his brother and would have died for him. Now she had convinced herself and almost everyone else that she hated him for what he had done. Then Itachi shows up and throws her world off balance and she didn't know what to believe anymore. Sasuke knew a part of her was praying and hoping with all its might that Itachi was innocent. He also knew she would ruthlessly squash that part of her for dreaming of the impossible.

Sasuke wondered what he should say. Comforting just wasn't his forte. Nanami had always been the one to do that when those around them were upset or scared. She had a gift for putting people at ease that he always lacked. He finally spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Nanami, it's alright you know. It's okay to be confused after what he said."

She looked up at him with a small smile, "I know." Nanami started for the door, "We should probably get some sleep. we're returning to Konoha tomorrow and you and Naruto still have to take the chunin exams."

He nodded and followed her off the roof.

They were home at last. Kakashi was told to rest in the hospital since he still hadn't recovered from using his Mongekyo Sharingan. Everyone else who had been in Suna was allowed to rest for two days before Naruto and Sasuke took the chunin exams. The two of them were promoted to chunins. Sasuke saw Nanami in the crowd just like he had on the day he had become a genin. And just like before she turned and walked towards his clan's compound. He followed her again. For the first time since his clan had been murdered he walked onto the Uchiha compound to visit his parents graves.

He stood by Nanami as she told his parents about the days events. It was painful to stand there in front of his parents but it was worth it to hear Nanami tell them that they would've been proud of him. He looked over at the compound itself and made a decision. He had let Itachi run him out of his own home. It wasn't going to happen again. "Nanami."

"What is it, Sasuke?" she asked turning to him.

"I want to move back into the compound. Will you help me?"

She blinked in surprise then smiled. "Of course I will. Better yet let's go get Sakura and Naruto. They'll want to help too."

Sasuke nodded and watched Nanami go. He walked into the compound feeling very tense. This place has haunted his dreams for most of his life. He could still picture his parents bodies lying lifeless on the floor. He shook the image out of his head. He wouldn't allow what Itachi had done to keep him away anymore. This was his home damn it and he wouldn't be forced to stay away by anyone especially Itachi.

His friends all helped him clean out the compound and refurnish it. Naruto would goof around and make everyone laugh. Sasuke soon found that he could relax in compound even with the nightmares. Having his friends around him made it seem much less hostile.

They had just finished cleaning up Sasuke's bedroom when Tsunade walked in with Shizune. Nanami smiled, "Don't tell met he hokage is actually going to help clean?"

Tsunade laughed, "No thank you. I have enough chores as the hokage. I don't need household chores to add to it."

Sakura tilted her head, "Then why are you here, Shishou?"

"I'm going to add three shinobi to your team. Your next mission will be dangerous and I want you to have all the help you can get."

"What is our next mission, Granny-Tsunade?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Sakura retrieved information regarding Orochimaru. There is a spy among his people and we want to get what information he has. You'll have more people just in case it's a trap to capture Naruto or Sasuke."

Sasuke looked into Tsunade's eyes, "If he wants me he'll have to kill me first."

That simple statement fill Nanami with pride. The boy really had grown up. There was a time he would have used this to join Orochimaru. She heard everyone else let out a relieved breath. Apparently they were still wary of Sasuke becoming the enemy. The medic made a mental note of the trust issue for future reference. It could become important eventually.

"Who are the three shinobi, Shishou?" the pink haired kunoichi asked.

The hokage turned to Nanami, "If she'll agree, I want Nanami to be one of them."

Nanami smiled, "I would love to."

Naruto and Sakura cheered. Having Nanami on the team was a relief for them. The older girl always had a way of making things come out right. Sasuke also relaxed. She was a strong shinobi and an even more skilled medic than Tsunade. Between her and Sakura everyone would be alright.

"You will get to meet the other two later today." Tsunade handed Nanami a piece of paper. "There's the time and place. Nanami, you and the other jonin will be the team leaders. I hope you know how to share."

"Don't worry, Tsunade. I'll be able to handle it."

The hokage nodded, "Then I'll leave you to your cleaning."

After they finished cleaning, Sakura decided to go to the hospital to check on Kakashi. Naruto decided to go out for lunch and Nanami and Sasuke joined him. As the three of them walked through the village the ran into Shikamaru and Choji. The group started talking and made fun of how Shikamaru and Ino got together. Shikamaru was just threatening Naruto within an inch of his life when someone attacked them with a beast made of ink. They looked at the roof and saw a boy so pale he was almost white. His hair and eyes were a solid black and Nanami saw that those eyes were also empty of anything. Nanami stood back while Sasuke and Naruto attacked. The three of them were locked in a stalemate until the boy noticed Shikamaru's shadow trying to grab him. He chose that moment to leave.

"Well that was annoying," Nanami commented.

Naruto and Sasuke fully agreed. They were both extremely pissed about something but they wouldn't tell the others what it was. Naruto, Sasuke, and Nanami said goodbye to Shikamaru and Choji. They needed to go meet their knew teammates. When they arrived Sakura was already there. She said hello as Naruto looked around.

"There's no one else here," the blonde boy said stating the obvious.

"We are a little early, Naruto. They'll be here soon."

Two people walked out of the shadows. One was a man with brown hair and dark eyes. He introduced himself as Yamato. Nanami, Naruto, and Sasuke recognized the other one immediately. He had been the one to attack them earlier that day. He introduced himself as Sai and insulted everyone almost immediately. Naruto attacked the moment Sai insulted him. Nanami moved in and grabbing the boy and shoving him against the wall. Yamato grabbed a hold of Naruto.

"You're not very polite are you?" Nanami asked Sai.

He tilted his head, "I'm just saying what I think."

She considered him for a moment, "You may want to keep bad opinions to yourself. They tend to get you into trouble with people who have a hot temper."

He nodded his head with a smile, "Of course."

She rolled her eyes, "And don't give me a fake smile. It annoys me. If you don't feel anything don't show anything...to me anyways."

His face became absolutely blank of all emotions, "Alright."

Nanami stepped back and looked at Yamato, who had finally let go of Naruto. She smiled and held out her hand, "I'm Nanami Tsukino."

"Nice to meet you." He looked at Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. "Now who are the rest of the team?"

The blonde was grumbling and bit out, "Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura smiled, "I'm Sakura Haruno."

They all turned to Sasuke who had just stood there through the entire thing. He didn't seem to care about the events around him. His friends knew that this was just an act. The more irritated he was the less emotion he showed. His eyes met Sai's and there seemed to be a lot of tension between the two of them though neither of them had said a word to each other. Sasuke noticed that everyone was waiting for him to give his name. He was about to just turn his back to everyone and not give his name when he felt a burning sensation on his left arm. His dark eyes looked up and met Nanami's. She was giving him a glare. He understood the warning.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Yamato looked at her, "How did you do that and can you teach me? I didn't think anyone could get through to a Uchiha."

Nanami smiled, "A lot of practice and not you can't learn. It's part of my kekkei genkai."

He sighed, "Damn."

Sai looked at her, "You have a kekkei genkai?"

"Yes. It's called Chiyubodi." (A/N: see I wasn't lying to you. Her kekkei genkai really does have a name now.)

"What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you that. No one outside of my clan and our most trusted friends is allowed to know." She thought about it for a moment then said, "I suppose I could tell you but I'd have to kill you."

Sai looked away. He wanted to know but he couldn't risk his life on it. He had a mission to complete and failure was not an option. His dark eyes looked at the Uchiha. Sasuke was ignoring him and seemed unconcerned with everything. Sai wondered if Sasuke was acting or if he really didn't feel anything. Nanami and Yamato told them when they would leave for their mission and then dismissed them.

* * *

I think I'm upset. No one reviewed the last chapter so I don't know if you liked it or not. So here's the deal. I'm not updating until someone sends me a review saying they want me to continue writing this story.


	9. Insert Cheesy Title Here

Here's the next chapter. It doesn't have a title because I couldn't think of one. I hope y'all like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the characters I made up. Just so ya know that means I don't own Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, etc.

* * *

**Ch. 9: Insert Cheesy Title Here  
**

Nanami walked into Kakashi's hospital room with Tsunade, Yamato, and Shizune. They were about to receive and explanation for Naruto's odd transformation during the last mission. He had actually managed to scare Kakashi and that took talent. They entered to the room to see that Jiraiya was already there. Nanami was relieved to see Kakashi sitting up now. He couldn't even move the last time she saw him.

"I think there are things that Yamato and you should know if you're going to lead his team," Tsunade stated.

"About Naruto?" Yamato asked.

Kakashi nodded, "Yes. You already know that he's the jinchūriki of the nine tailed fox."

Nanami and Yamato nodded.

"There are times when the fox's chakra takes control of Naruto. It will start taking the form of the fox and tails will start appearing. It happened during out last mission." Kakashi told them about the last mission and how he had used the seal that Jiraiya had given him to suppress the fox. The copy ninja looked at Jiraiya, "How many tails have you seen him go up to?"

Jiraiya sighed and pulled off his shirt and armor while explaining about the only two times he had been near death. One was when Tsunade had pulverized him for trying to peek. The other was when training with Naruto had he had gone up to four tails.

"It appears his anger triggers the Demon Fox's cloak."

"How can he draw out that much power with the fourth's seal?" Nanami asked.

"I'm not sure about the details but from what I can tell the fourth's seal is weakening," the toad sage replied. "There's more. When he's in that state it appears as if the cloak is protecting Naruto but that's not the case. It's actually causing him a great deal of damage. He starts to bleed severely and the blood mixes with the chakra. Once the chakra is suppressed the fox will heal his injuries. If Naruto goes through repeated episodes of this then his life span will be shortened."

"That can't be good," Nanami replied.

"That's why Yamato must be on your team. He's the only one capable of stopping Naruto," Tsunade stated.

Nanami nodded her head, "Don't worry. I agree with this idea. If it will keep those kids safe then that's what we'll do." She turned to Yamato, "Just let me know if there is anything I need to do."

"I do have a question for you. If you place your clan's seal on Naruto will it work on the fox?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway. I won't be able to use the seal on Naruto once he unleashes that fourth tail. He'll be too powerful."

Yamato sighed, "I was afraid of that."

"Sorry."

He shook his head, "It's no problem. It would have made things easier but I can still handle it."

"We'll let you two get packed for the mission. Be careful."

The two jonin nodded and left to get ready for their mission.

Nanami groaned in exasperation. Things were not going well. Naruto couldn't stand Sai and it showed. Sai wasn't doing anything to make things any easier either. He would anger Naruto without intending to. Nanami had learned from Yamato that Sai was a member of Root. She immediately asked what the boy's mission was. Yamato didn't know. It worried Nanami since Roots leader, Danzo, had his own agenda and it didn't usually coincide with everyone else's. She looked at Sai as he and Naruto started fighting again.

"Will you shut up," Naruto demanded. "No one asked for your opinion."

"It's not my fault that you have a problem," Sai said without emotion.

Naruto let out a frustrated sound, "I don't see why you had to come. Team 7 always did fine without help."

Sai's gaze flickered over to the silent Uchiha walking beside Sakura. Sasuke felt the gaze and looked up and med Sai's dark eyes with his own. Nanami swore that for a moment time stopped until Sai looked away from Sasuke and back to Naruto. "Because not everyone on Team 7 is trustworthy."

Naruto's glare intensified, "What are you talking about? You mean Sasuke-teme, don't you?"

Sai simply nodded.

The fox jinchūriki growled and would have attacked Sai but Sakura stopped him. She turned and smiled at Sai, "I apologize for Naruto. He has a bad temper." Suddenly Sai went flying. Everyone looked at Sakura who was now glaring at Sai, "I won't apologize for myself though. That was just a warning hit by the way. If you ever insult Sasuke-kun again I'll hit you even harder."

Yamato let out a sigh and turned to Nanami, "This is going to be a long trip."

"You said it."

The group continued on their way. Everyone started to get tired shortly after the sun went down. Finally Yamato stopped and said, "This looks like a good place to stop for the night." He used his Mokuton ability to create a house.

Nanami grinned and looked at him, "You're a handy person to have around when camping."

"I know," he replied with a grin of his own.

The group filed into the house. After they finished eating Yamato told Sakura to tell him all she could about Sasori. The conversation lasted well into the night. Nanami eventually stood up and stretched.

"It's time for bed."

"We're not done," Yamato stated.

Nanami regarded him for a moment then said, "I know but if we don't go to sleep now we'll fall asleep in the middle of the battle tomorrow. Then this conversation won't do you any good."

Yamato nodded his head reluctantly, "I suppose you're right. Let's get some rest then."

"Will we need to keep watch?" Naruto asked.

Nanami looked over at Yamato, "Do you think we should?"

Yamato considered then said, "Might as well just in case."

"I'll keep the first watch," Sasuke volunteered.

Nanami glanced at him, "You sure?"

"Yes. I'm not tired."

"Alright. Wake me up for the next watch."

Sasuke nodded. Everyone else settled down for the night. A few hours later Nanami felt some one shake her shoulder. She glanced up and saw Sasuke. "Is it time for my watch?"

He nodded, "I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Wake Naruto up next."

" Alright."

Sasuke laid down and fell asleep. Nanami walked around to check on everyone. She slid a door open to see that Sai was awake. The medic stepped in. "Couldn't sleep?"

He glanced over and shook his head, "I didn't want to sleep."

Nanami considered him for a moment then shook her head, "Sasuke isn't a threat to us. I don't know what Danzo told you about him but he's a good guy."

Sai just looked away, "I didn't say he was the reason i didn't sleep."

"I know. You didn't have to."

He chose not to respond. Instead he continued to stare out the window.

She turned to leave but paused and glanced back, "None of us ever welcomed you to the team did we?"

He turned to her and shook his head.

Nanami gave him a small smile, "How shameful of me. Welcome to the team, Sai." She turned back around and waved as she waked away, "Good night."

He watched her walk out. He stood there for a moment then settled down to sleep. Nanami sat down in the main room and waited for her shift to end.

The next day they walked up to the Heaven and Earth Bridge where they would meet the spy. Yamato stood in the middle of the bridge disguised as Sasori. Nanami and Sasuke were on one of the bridge hidden in the forest. Sakura, Naruto, and Sai were hiding on the other. The orders were simple. No one was to move until Yamato gave the signal. Naruto nearly gasped when he saw the spy for the first time. It was Kabuto. They got an even bigger shock when they saw Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smirked when he saw his old partner. Still hiding in that puppet. Well, he wouldn't be for very long. He did make a mental note that there were four people hiding at either side of the bridge. They would have to be dealt with as well. Orochimaru attacked but it wasn't aimed for Sasori. It was aimed for Kabuto. It seemed the snake wasn't very happy with being betrayed. Then Kabuto turned on Sasori braking the puppet containing the person he believed to be his ex-master. Orochimaru also attacked Yamato but he used a wood replacement first. Orochimaru figured everything out right then. Yamato gave the signal for the team to come out.

Sasuke was about to join them but Nanami grabbed his arm and shook her head. "He's only noticed the other three. Let's not give away all our cards just yet," she whispered.

He nodded in understanding. The two of them continued to watch the events on the bridge. It didn't take long for Orochimaru to say something to piss everyone off. Nanami frowned. Something was wrong with Naruto. He was starting to glow red. "I wish I could hear what they're saying," she whispered impatiently.

"Orochimaru removed Sasori's mind control jutsu from Kabuto so now he's helping Orochimaru," Sasuke replied. "Orochimaru has also threatened to kidnap me and kill everyone in the village."

"How can you hear them?"

"I can't," he stated and turned to look at her.

She grinned. His sharingan was activated. He couldn't hear them but he could read lips. She turned back to the bridge. Now she knew something was wrong with Naruto. He was on all fours now and it looked like he had a tail. She gasped, "Oh my god. It's the cloak."

"What are you talking about, Nanami?" Sasuke asked.

"I hope Yamato knows what he's doing."

Sasuke frowned. He wished he knew what she was talking about but she didn't seem to be in a sharing mood. She was currently watching Naruto intently and was definitely prepared for a fight. He turned and his eyes widened in shock. Naruto had destroyed the entire bridge and was now chasing after Orochimaru with a vengeance. Then he saw Sakura slipping off the bridge. "Nanami!"

She turned to see him pointing at a piece of the bridge. Their unconscious medic was slipping off the bridge and Sai was flying right by her. He didn't even make an attempt to save her. "That bastard! He just left her!"

"Can we save Sakura before you rant," Sasuke demanded but he didn't wait for an answer. He jumped out of the trees and raced towards the crumbling bridge. Nanami was right behind him. As fast as they were, Yamato was faster. He caught her with a branch and brought her back to his side of the bridge. Nanami cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Is she alright?!"

"She's fine."

"We're going to go on ahead. Be careful. No telling what will happen with Naruto in this form."

Yamato gave a thumbs up. Nanami and Sasuke turned and ran in the direction Orochimaru, Naruto, and Sai had gone. Nanami and Sasuke hid themselves among the trees as Naruto transformed into what appeared to be a miniature version of the fox. Nanami frowned and thought, 'We were afraid this would happen.'

Nanami frowned when she saw Sai hiding on the opposite side of the large crater Orochimaru and Naruto were fighting in. She caught a glimpse of Yamato a few yards away. Nanami glanced down at the fight again and let out an annoyed sigh. It looked like this would be a long day. Naruto and Orochimaru seemed to be trying to tear each other apart. In Naruto's case, he just might be trying to do just that. The fox was in full control now and it didn't care what happened as long as it got to kill someone.

"Well this is just wonderful," Nanami whispered more to herself than to Sasuke. What were they going to do now. The only person who could stop Naruto now was Yamato. The problem was Yamato was on the wrong side of the broken bridge. "This is just great," she gumbled.

Then a sword came out of Orochimaru's mouth and he attacked Naruto. Nanami felt Sasuke's body go tense beside her. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Go make sure Yamato doesn't need any help. I want to keep an eye on Sai."

Sasuke nodded and left. Nanami turned back and watched as Orochimaru collapsed. If she weren't keeping an eyes on Sai she just might have captured the snake right then. The problem was that something just wasn't right about their new teammate and it wasn't his lack of emotions. Nanami watched with rising anger as Sai confronted Orochimaru. She watched them talk and knew Sai was a traitor. Her temper skyrocketed.

* * *

That's it for now. Let me know what y'all think


	10. Traitor

I finally did it. I finally finished this chapter. I'm so happy about it too. Hope you guys like it. I know that Sai is the main character for this one but I had to develop him since he was new. Hope you guys don't mind. I don't know much about Sai so he might be OCC. If anyone has any suggestions about his characters I'm more than willing to hear them. I could use the help.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

**Ch. 10: Traitor **

Sai didn't know what happened. One moment he was standing in front of Orochimaru, the next he was flying through the air. When he stood it was to see Nanami glaring at him for all she was worth. She was obviously not happy with him and he knew why. She was no fool. The medic was aware that he had just attempted to betray them.

"Nanami..."

"Don't you dare say a word, Sai. I'm barely controlling my temper right now and it will just make it worse if you speak," she growled at him through clenched teeth.

Orochimaru examined the woman who had attacked Sai. She had dark hair that could except for a single white streak that fell down the side of her face. Her shirt was dark blue and had a one long sleeve and one shoulder strap. Instead of the usual shinobi pants she had long loose fitting black one that covered all but the tips of her shoes. Her eyes were a the color of clouds during a bad storm. Orochimaru would admit that he was impressed just a little. The woman was something worth looking at even glaring with absolute hatred. He caught a glimpse of the leaf village headband in her hair and suppressed a chuckled. It looked like the boy was in big trouble.

Nanami walk toward Sai with slow deliberate steps, "How dare you betray us. After you accused one of us of being untrustworthy you turn around and join this snake."

She hit Sai again. 'She's fast,' was all Sai could think before he was forced on the defensive. Then all he could do was dodge and block Nanami's attacks. She got in another hit and he crashed into a tree.

Kabuto looked at Orochimaru, "What's that on the back of her shirt? I've seen that symbol before but I'm not sure where."

"It's the symbol of the Tsukino clan. You've probably heard of them because of their medical capabilities," the snake replied with interest. He had heard of the Tsukino clan while he was living in Konoha. They were leaf shinobi but didn't live in the village. Kimiko Tsukino had been the head of the family then.

Nanami turned to face Orochimaru and Kabuto. The glare she gave them told them she didn't like them any more than she did Sai. Orochimaru could only chuckle, "Are you going to try to fight me now?"

"As fun as that sounds, no. I'm not so foolish as to think I can compete with you, Orochimaru," she replied coldly. Nanami was no where calm yet. She wanted to pound on Sai some more but she couldn't bring herself to hit him while he was unconscious. She still wasn't stupid enough to fight with Orochimaru. "I just wanted to inform you that Sai won't be able to join you. I'm afraid he'll be too busy defending himself against my wrath."

Orochimaru was about to comment when Yamato's wood clone landed next to her. The snake just chuckled, "Fine. Have it your way then." Kabuto and Orochimaru left without another word.

Nanami looked at Yamato, "Thanks. I think he was thinking of fighting me."

"I agree which is why I came out."

The two jonin turned to look at the unconscious Sai. Nanami sighed, "I'll bring him back to the group." She looked away with a glare and added in a grumble, "Though what I'd really like to do is rip him apart."

Yamato looked at her in surprise for a moment then laughed, "I guess Kakashi was right after all. You do have a violent temper."

Nanami gave him a sheepish look, "Maybe a little."

The Yamato clone vanished and Nanami let out another sigh. She trudged over to Sai and lifted him up then rushed back towards the others. Nanami was forced to stop when she reached the spot where the bridge use to be. What was she going to do now? The bridge was gone and she couldn't jump across.

"Nanami! Are you alright?!" Sakura called.

"I'm fine. Sai had a few problems though."

Yamato concentrated and created a wooden bridge for Nanami to cross, "Here. Bring Sai over here and we can explain to Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura what's going on."

"Alright." Nanami crossed the bridge and set Sai against a tree.

Sai was coming too just when she reached the others. The first thing he saw was Nanami standing in front of him with her arms crossed and fierce glare. He pushed himself up and waited for what was to come. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke looked confused. Nanami still looked ready to strangle him. Yamato didn't seem to care one way or the other.

"Uhhh, is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Sai is a treacherous bastard that's what," Nanami snapped.

Sasuke let out a sigh. In the three years he had trained with Nanami he had learned on very important lesson. She has a very short and violent temper. He was surprised that Sai was still alive. The few times Sasuke had been foolish enough to ignite her temper she had beat him to bloody pulp. He hadn't made that mistake more than he had too. Even know he wasn't foolish enough to risk her anger. What was odd was that Nanami seemed even angrier than she usually got. Whatever Sai did it really pissed her off.

"Explain," he stated in his usual one word response.

"Shortly after you left I saw him talking to Orochimaru and it was a friendly conversation."

"WHAT!!" Sakura and Naruto yelled together. Sasuke just looked at Sai with narrowed eyes.

"You heard me," Nanami replied.

"YOU JERK!!" Sakura shouted as she punched him.

"And you accused Sasuke of being a traitor," Naruto snapped.

"He is a traitor," Sai replied calmly rubbing at his jaw.

Nanami looked at Yamato, "What do you want to do with him?"

Yamato shrugged, "I guess we take him back to Konoha."

"Can we beat him first?" Naruto growled as he glared at Sai.

"No. We need him in one piece so he can answer a few questions."

Nanami grinned, "Can we question him?"

Judging from the look in her eyes she wasn't going to be nice about asking him. Sai wasn't so sure he wanted her anywhere near him right now. She would probably kill him then she would claim it was an accident. Sai couldn't die yet. He had a mission to complete and that was more important than anything else. Sai took a step back preparing to run.

"Don't even try it, Sai. If you run and I have to catch you I'll make sure you never walk again," Nanami stated.

Yamato didn't give Sai any time at all. Instead he had several trees come out of the ground and grab Sai's hands and pulled him down to his knees so he couldn't run. The group stared at him as they considered what should be done about him. They couldn't let him go. He would rush off to join Orochimaru. That wouldn't be good. Taking him back to Konoha would be difficult because he would keep trying to run. Then they would have to catch him. That would be a pain in the ass.

"Why can't Nanami just put the seal on him that she has on Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Yamato looked over at Nanami. She shrugged, "I could. He's definitely not capable of breaking it. I really would rather find another way though. It's a dangerous technique to use on someone that doesn't care about life in general like Sai. He might fight too hard and end up killing himself."

"I suppose you're right," Yamato stated.

Sakura stalked up to Sai, "Just tell us one thing. Why? Why would you betray us like that? We trusted you."

He blinked. Deep inside him a box that contained all his emotions shook a little when Sai saw the hurt in Sakura's eyes. It was all he could do just to keep the lid closed tightly so that nothing escaped. Sai opened his mouth to answer but suddenly his reason didn't seem good enough. Suddenly he was sure that anyone here would have done things differently in his place and that made him the bad guy. Sai shook his head. He wasn't suppose to care about these things. Nothing was suppose to matter to him anymore.

Then Naruto was in his face, "Yeah. Tell us, Sai. Tell us why you're more trustworthy than Sasuke-teme even though you're the one trying to join Orochimaru. Ya know, Nanami had convinced us to give you a chance. I don't see why she bothered."

Sai blinked again. He couldn't quite figure out why Naruto's obvious hatred for him suddenly hurt. He suddenly wanted to run. Not because he had a mission to finish but because he couldn't face Naruto's and Sakura's anger. He felt small and shallow and he couldn't figure out why. The lid to his emotions loosened just a little letting something painful out. Sai suppressed the urge to grab his chest as he felt the stabbing pain of something he couldn't identify.

Nanami watched his reaction with interest. If she wasn't mistaken it looked like he was actually starting to feel something. She stepped in between Sai and the others, "That's enough. We'll return to Konoha and find out what's going on."

The rest of the team nodded their heads and followed Yamato into the woods. Nanami grabbed Sai's arm and waited until the others were out of sight before speaking. "Tell me why you were talking to Orochimaru."

"Why did you ask when they were gone?"

"With the exception of Yamato, they're too emotional to be reasonable."

"And you're not. You punched me twice."

"I know but I'm aware that I have a bad temper. I'll admit that when I'm mad I say things I shouldn't and am very violent. But I promise you that I'm still very reasonable. Now answer my question."

Sai shrugged, "Orders." For him it was that simple. He wondered why it didn't bother him now that Sakura and Naruto weren't here with their angry eyes. Even though Nanami's temper was worse that either of them combined. Still he would rather face Nanami than either of them. Somehow he anger didn't make his feelings try to break free.

Nanami watched him with curious storm cloud eyes. Sai was back in control. Apparently facing her was easier than facing Naruto or Sakura. She could understand that. Anyone who met Naruto eventually ended up his friend with a few exceptions. The boy's cheerfulness and energy was just irresistible. Sakura was just as hard to ignore. She was gentle and king but she could be a fierce fighter when the situation demanded it. Sai had unintentionally opened a part of himself to them. Now he was paying the price.

"Orders are not always meant to be followed, Sai. Sometimes you just have to decide what you think is best."

"That goes against my training."

"Well, you'll have to work around that if you don't want to feel that pain anymore."

Sai's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you know about that?"

"I saw your arm twitch when Sakura and Naruto were yelling at you. I also spent most of my life learning to read men who didn't want to be read. You're nothing compared to Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha."

Sai's narrowed his eyes at being compared to the Uchihas. Nanami let out a sigh. 'How come every time I compare people someone always glares at me?' she questioned herself. 'Sasuke did it when I compared him to Itachi now Sai does it because of the Uchihas.'

"The point is, Sai, their opinion matters to you now whether you like it or not."

He looked away. Sai didn't want her to be right. He didn't want that tightly closed lid to open. If it did the pain would be more than he could bear. The loss of his brother and only friend would hurt even more than it had back then because all those emotions were buried in that box. As long as the lid stayed shut he would be fine.

"It's okay you know."

He looked up at her.

"You are allowed to care. Even Sasuke allows himself to care these days. If he can do it I bet the devil can even learn to. That means you can to. Sai, give it a chance. You might find that feeling things isn't so bad. Especially if you have friends like Naruto and Sakura."

Sai looked up at the clouds as he considered what she said. He remembered Naruto's fierce protectiveness over his friends. Sakura's willingness to sit quietly with Uchiha for no other reason that to be near him. If he had friends like those would it be okay to feel pain over his brother? Would it still be unbearable with people to share it with? He didn't know. Emotions had been banned it Root. He hadn't been allowed to cry when he was hurt. No one came to hold him if he had a nightmare. He hadn't known the feel of a hug.

"Well?" Nanami prompted when he was quiet for too long.

Sai shrugged again, "I just don't see the point."

"Not everything has to have a point."

He blinked, "Then why do it?"

She smiled, "Because you can."

Sai blinked again.

Nanami thought about a way to explain it then smiled, "Let me put it this way. Why not do it?"

He opened his mouth to respond then closed it again. There wasn't a response. Why not? He had never asked that before. Sai looked at her and instead of shrugging he nodded.

She turned and started walking into the forest. "Come on, Sai. You have a lot of work ahead of you if you want to win everyone's trust again."

They rejoined the rest of the group and journeyed back to Konoha. Yamato gave Tsunade a report of their mission and she spoke to Sai alone for several hours. He was eventually released into Team 7's custody. Sai was now a permeate member of the team. It was his chance to prove that he could be trusted. If he messed up again he would never serve on another mission outside of Root for the rest of his life.

Everyone but Sai met up in the ramen shop. Naruto was complaining loudly, "I can't believe Granny Tsunade is sticking us with that jerk. He shouldn't be allowed to be a shinobi anymore after what he did."

"I don't know what Shishou was thinking," Sakura agreed.

Kakashi was annoyed but as usual his his opinion very well. He had never been fond of anyone who would betray their team even if that had been their orders. Sai would have to work really hard to prove himself now.

For once Nanami wasn't speaking. Instead she sat at the end of the bar in a thoughtful silence. Sasuke wondered what she was thinking. Nanami didn't tell anyone what her and Sai had talked about when they had been alone. Sai didn't seem to have the need to clue them in anymore than she did. Something had happened though. Sai was still on the team so he had said something to Tsunade to make her think he deserved a second chance. Nanami hadn't even put up a token protest which meant she agreed with the hokage. The rest of them were missing something and Sasuke wanted to know what it was.

"Nanami?"

She looked at him, "What?"

"You tell me."

The medic blinked then smiled, "Can't get anything past you anymore. No fun at all."

"You're thinking too much if you want to know what gave you away," He stated. "No tell."

She sighed, "Fine. I think Sai isn't as emotionless as he believes he is."

"What do you mean, Nanami? That guy betrayed us and he didn't even care," Naruto reminded her.

"That's not true. When you and Sakura yelled at him it bothered him. He's just very good at hiding it."

Kakashi sat back, "It's possible. Root members pride themselves on having no emotions. As far as Sai's concerned feeling at all is a bad thing. He wouldn't know what friendship even meant let alone the rules that usually come with it."

"So what? We forget that he's a backstabbing hypocritical jerk that almost let Sakura die," Naruto snapped.

"You can do whatever you want, Naruto," Nanami replied.

"I think Kakashi-sensei is right," Sakura said quietly. Everyone looked at her.

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I talked to him while we were at the spring. He has a picture book full of drawings that his brother made. His brother is dead. The sad part is Sai said he didn't even know what face to make when he was told. I don't think he understands emotions or the things that come with them."

Nanami smiled, "So what will you do?"

Sasuke shrugged, "We don't have a choice."

Naruto and Sakura looked at him.

"He's on our team so we have to learn to work with him. Even if we don't understand him. We can't be an effective team otherwise."

"But, Sasuke-teme, he betrayed us."

"You forgave me for doing the same thing he did."

"That's different."

"How? Because I did it for personal reasons and he tried because he was ordered to? Naruto, if the Hokage gave you and order would you question it?"

"I guess not but Tsunade would never tell us to betray our team."

"No but the leader of Root would."

"He could have just said no," Naruto stated stubbornly.

"Sai was raised in that organization. He wouldn't know anything else. How was he to know that what he was doing was wrong if no one told him?" Nanami replied.

Sakura and Naruto sighed. Sasuke and Nanami had a point. They had to learn to work with Sai. If that meant giving him a second chance then that's what they had to do. Sakura looked at Nanami, "Fine. But if he accuses Sasuke-kun of being a traitor one more time I get to beat him."

"Alright."

Outside the restaurant Sai sighed a little. He would have to change his way of thinking if he wanted to do this. Starting with Uchiha...no...Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't a traitor. Instead he had merely been wrong once. Everyone had forgiven him because they had understood why he had tried to join Orochimaru.

The group walked out and everyone froze when they saw Sai. He nodded his head in greeting then faced Sasuke, "I was wrong." With that he walked away.

Sasuke smirked. Nanami was right Sai was trying to change. Sasuke wished him luck. He knew from experience how hard that could be. It had been three years and he was still getting use to the changes he had made. Hell, he was still changing. He had actually laughed with Naruto and Sakura once. It still surprised him when he thought about it. He also didn't mind Sakura's company anymore. In fact he enjoyed it. Not only that he admitted that Naruto was his best friend without being angry about it.

"Kakashi," someone called.

The copy ninja turned as the other shinobi caught up to them, "What is it?"

"Tsunade has another mission for your team. They think they might now where Orochimaru is hiding."

* * *

Now please review.


	11. Alliances

Sorry it took so long to update. Between school and the book i'm writing i've been busy. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: i own nothing

* * *

**Ch. 11: Alliances**

Nanami and Kakashi were standing in Tsunade's office listening to her explain their mission. The Hokage spoke in crisp clear tones that told the two jonin that she knew what she was talking about. Orochimarou was in the Land of Sound that bored the Land of Fire to the north. He had founded a village there called Otogakure and was the leader there. Tsunade looked at the two jonin in front of her, "Your mission will be to destroy Orochimaru so that he will no longer be a threat to us. I don't care how you do it."

"Of course," Nanami replied. She would have said more but Iruka came rushing into the room.

"Tsunade-sama, Sakura is missing. She's not at the hospital or anywhere else in the village. The last time anyone saw her she was going home to pack for this mission. Sasuke Uchiha has already gone to her apartment to check for her."

Tsunade stood, "What? Where is Sasuke and Naruto?"

"They're still searching."

"Get everyone else searching as well. She couldn't have just vanished."

Everyone rushed out to help the search. Kakashi left to help Naruto search. Tsunade left with Iruka to organize a search. Nanami headed for Sakura's house where she found Sasuke standing in front of the door. He seemed frantic. Nanami had never seen him this worried. He was pacing and raking his fingers through his dark hair. His normally expressionless eyes held concern and fear. She could see the rapid thoughts in his eyes and he tried to figure out where Sakura could be.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?"

"I'll be fine as soon as I find Sakura," he replied.

She nodded, "Let's check inside now."

The two of them walked into Sakura's apartment. It was a mess. Clothes were laying everywhere. There was broken class on the floor. They could see holes in the wall probably from a fight. There was blood splattered everywhere. That was what worried Nanami and Sasuke the most. The entire apartment showed signs of a fight and someone had lost. Since Sakura wasn't there Nanami could only assume she had been the loser.

"I don't think we're going to find Sakura," Nanami stated in concern.

"Don't say that. Let's check my compound. Maybe she went there if she was hurt," Sasuke stated as he rushed towards the Uchiha compound.

Nanami followed but didn't have much hope of finding Sakura. Sasuke was right. If Sakura was injured she would have gone to him. However if she hadn't been taken then the enemies bodied would still be in her apartment. Since they weren't Nanami believed that they were able to walk out. That meant that Sakura hadn't walked out on her own. Nanami wasn't happy to find that her pessimistic thoughts had been correct. Sakura wasn't at the Uchiha compound.

"She's not here," Sasuke said quietly.

"We'll find her Sasuke. If she was dead her body would still be in her apartment," Nanami reassured him.

"I know."

"Orochimaru took her," a new voice stated.

The two leave shinobi spun around to face the intruder. Both of them stiffened and drew weapons when they saw who it was. Itachi gazed at them with expressionless dark eyes. Beside him stood a person that looked more like a shark than a man. The two of them kept their hands in sight and didn't move anymore than necessary. Nanami put her kunai away and glanced at Sasuke. "Put the weapon away. They're not here to fight."

"Doesn't mean I don't want to fight," Sasuke replied.

"They know where Sakura is."

After a moment of inner tug of war Sasuke put his kunai away. Finding Sakura was too important to risk losing a lead now. That didn't stop him from glaring at his brother with cold hatred. Itachi showed no response to Sasuke's glare.

"What do you want?" Nanami asked the two men.

"We actually wish to help you kill Orochimaru," the shark faced man replied.

Nanami's eyes narrowed, "Why?"

The shark man gave a murderous grin, "Let's just say we owe him so payback."

"You'll have to be more specific than that if you even want me to give you a maybe," Nanami informed them.

The shark man nodded, "If you insist. The snake betrayed the Akatsuki and tried to take over Itachi's body."

Nanami glanced at Itachi then back at the other man, "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh, how rude. My name is Kisame Hoshigaki. I'm Itachi's partner. And who are you?"

Nanami was so shocked to hear this man give a polite response that she answered automatically. "Nanami Tsukino. I'm Sasuke's guardian."

"It's nice to meet you."

She gave him an 'I don't believe this' look and shook her head. "I don't know what to think about you, Kisame. So, why do you want to work with us?"

"Because neither of our groups has managed to catch Orochimaru on their own. Itachi here thinks if we work together we might succeed this time." Kisame grinned, "We also heard that this time you plan on killing Orochimaru. I love a good fight."

"I bet."

Itachi shifted and Sasuke acted on instinct. The younger Uchiha was standing in front of Nanami with his kunai back out in a blink. His eyes were narrowed on his brother. Nanami placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Sasuke. He was just shifting."

Sasuke relaxed slightly and looked back at Nanami, "Sorry. Reflex."

"I know. Step back. I hate to admit it but these two have a point. They could be useful in taking down Orochimaru." She focused on Kisame and Itachi, "But know this. Our first priority is saving Sakura. Orochimaru comes second. If you work with us, you will have to live with that."

"I think we can manage," Kisame stated. "You'll have to accept that when this is over we expect to be allowed to leave."

Nanami hesitated for only a second, "I think we can live with that. You two wait here for us then." Nanami looked at Sasuke, "We need to go report to Lady Tsunade."

"We'll be here," Kisame confirmed.

Nanami and Sasuke left the compound to meet up with the hokage. Sasuke looked over to his friend and teacher, "Nanami?"

"What?"

"Are you sure about this?"

She let out a frustrated sigh, "No. But do we have a choice. Sakura is in Orochimaru's custody and we don't know what he wants. We need all the help we can get. Remember the saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. That applies right now." She looked at him, "Are you going to be alright with this?"

"If it will save Sakura, yes. I can fight Itachi later. Right now our priority is Sakura." He looked back at her, "Are you alright with it?"

"Yes, for the same reasons."

The two of them walked into the hokage's office in agreement. Tsunade listened carefully as the two told her everything they knew. When they finished she let out a sigh, "This has just become difficult."

"Believe me, we know," Nanami replied.

"Bring all the jonin and anyone else that you think should be here, Nanami. I'll need to give a briefing," Tsunade ordered.

"Of course."

Nanami returned with the jonin along with Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, Naruto, and Sai. They stood around Tsunade as she explained the situation. At the mention of Itachi and Kisame they exchanged doubtful glances.

"Can we really trust them?" Shikamaru asked.

"We don't know but it's better than having them make their own plans that mess up ours. If their working with us they can't surprise us as easily," Sasuke replied.

"Lady Tsunade!" one of the other shinobi came into the room with a letter in his hand. "It's from Orochimaru."

Tsunade snatched the letter and red it quickly. When she finished her eyes were filled with rage, "He wants to exchange Sasuke for Sakura. If we don't give in to his demands he'll kill Sakura."

"What do we do?" one of the jonin asked.

"I have a plan," Shikamaru stated. Everyone focused on him. He laid out the plan.

------------------------------

Sasuke walked into Otogakure. A group of ninja met him, Kabuto being one of them. He was led through a series of streets and into a building at the center of the village. There he was led into a large room that resembled an office. Sitting behind the desk was Orochimaru. The snake didn't look any different from the last time Sasuke had seen him. His hair was still black and oily. He gazed at everyone with gold colored eyes that somehow seemed evil.

Orochimaru grinned when he saw Sasuke walk into the room. The boy had grown up well. He wore a white shirt with long sleeves and black pants. The snake saw the leaf village headband on his forehead. There was a sword as his waist and black guards on his forearms.

"Well, well, if it isn't my protégé. I've been waiting for you to come to me but you never did. Now why is that?" he questioned Sasuke with his smooth and soft voice.

Sasuke smirked, "Because they wouldn't let me leave."

"How did they force someone like you to stay for so long?"

Sasuke lifted the sleeve of his left arm and Orochimaru gasped. There was a burn mark on Sasuke's upper arm. Three interconnected circles that, if the story could be believed, stood for the unity of the clan under the symbol. Sasuke was marked with the seal of the Tsukino clan.

"Why didn't they take it off?" Orochimaru asked.

"They won't until Sakura is released alive. It's a way to guarantee that you won't kill her."

Orochimaru looked up at him, "Fine then. We'll deal with the seal tomorrow. Tell me can you be trusted, Sasuke?"

Sasuke grinned, "Of course. I'm here to join Orochimaru."

* * *

please review.


	12. Dealing with Orochimaru

Sorry it took so long to update. I had a bit of a writer's block. I hope this chapter was worth the wait though. I worked very hard on it. I'm gonna tell you know because I'm not sure that it's clear. The italics are people speaking through the headsets. Anyways I'll let you get to the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

**Ch. 12: Dealing with Orochimaru**

"Why me?!" Nanami demanded

"Because you're the only one that we can fight him should he betray us," Shikamaru told her.

"Fine but I don't like it."

"Of course not. Now everyone get into position."

Nanami nodded and left. She located Itachi and dragged him off to where they would be waiting. She sulked. Nanami knew Shikamaru Nara was a genius. He could think at least two hundred moves ahead of his enemy. Shikamaru never lost a strategy game against any opponent. So why...she really wanted know...why couldn't even that genius come up with another plan? She was fine with sending Sasuke in to fool Orochimaru. The younger Uchiha was trustworthy and his naturally cold attitude made him a very good pretend traitor. It wasn't saving Sakura that worried her. Sakura was a strong and smart girl. She could take care of herself. The Konoha shinobi wanted to save her bad enough to work very hard. No. It wasn't any of that that bothered her. What bothered her was who she was partnered with for this mission. What possessed Shikamaru to partner her with Itachi Uchiha? Had he lost his mind? With all of his two hundred IQ points he couldn't even come up with even one other partner for her? There were droves of other shinobi in on this attack but noooo. She just had to be partnered with Itachi Uchiha.

"_Are you two ready?"_ Shikamaru's voice came from the headset Nanami wore.

"Yes," she growled.

"_No need to be grumpy,"_ Shikamaru said dryly.

"So you say," she replied coolly.

Itachi glanced at her. He knew she wasn't happy about having to work with him. The older Uchiha chose not to say anything. They would get this mission over with and then move on. She wouldn't miss him and it was probably for the best. Just as it was best that Sasuke never know...well know anything. Itachi had long since resigned himself to what he would have to do. One day he would have to fight his brother. He had once hoped to avoid it but the hate in Sasuke's eyes told him that there would be no way to avoid the fight. Itachi wasn't sure he even wanted to avoid it anymore.

"_Alright. Sasuke's in. Remember. We don't move until he's located Sakura,"_ Shikamaru stated.

"_Right,"_ everyone replied and waited for Sasuke's signal.

----------_With Sasuke_----------

Sasuke followed Kabuto through the Sound Village with apparent boredom. He had lied about the seal. Nanami had removed it a few hours before they started the mission. The symbol was still there because it was burned onto his skin. She told him that it should heal completely within a few days thought he might always have a scar. That didn't bother him. If he did have a scare, it would be a reminder to him of what he almost gave up in a moment of stupidity.

He hadn't necessarily lied when Orochimaru had asked whether or not he could be trusted. His friends could trust him, contrary to popular belief. When Shikamaru had told the others of his plan the village had objected. They weren't sure they could trust Sasuke around the snake. The younger Uchiha had wanted to join Orochimaru once after all. Why shouldn't he decide he still wanted to be a part of Orochimaru's organization and betray Konoha? Rookie nine stood up for Sasuke, telling everyone that they trusted him. Nanami had shown how much she trusted him by removing the seal on his arm.

Sasuke had lied about why he was there. He wasn't here to join Orochimaru and never would. Sasuke was here to kill the snake for hurting Sakura. Orochimaru had crossed a line when he involved Sasuke's pink haired teammate and would pay for it…dearly.

Then he sensed her. Sakura was near by. The younger Uchiha looked down a hall and saw the door with three guards standing in front of it. He activated his Sharingan eye and then turned it off quickly. Neji Hyuga would notice the change in his chakra and that would be the signal.

----------_With Nanami and Itachi----------_

_"Neji said that Sasuke gave the signal. Follow his instructions and he'll direct you to Sakura,"_ Shikamaru told Nanami.

"We're going in then," she replied.

Nanami and Itachi moved through the village as quickly and quietly as possible. Both were absolutely silent as they entered the main building of the village. Neji used his Byakugan to direct them through the building to the hall that Sasuke had signaled them. Nanami peered down the hallway and saw three men standing in front of a door. "Neji, is this the hallway Sasuke signaled us from?" she whispered into the headset.

"_Yes. Sakura should be in the area."_

She looked back to Itachi, "We'll have to take out the guards before they can call for help. Do you think you can handle that?"

He smirked, "Naturally."

Nanami just narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. The two of them moved quickly. Neither Nanami nor Itachi would ever admit it but they were an excellent team. The two of them complimented each other perfectly in every move. Nanami was hot headed and passionate. Itachi was calm and methodical. And as they fought it was almost as if the two of them were reading each other's minds. It looked like poetry in motion to watch them. Without planning or speaking they knocked out each of the three guards.

The fight only lasted for a few seconds but that was enough for Itachi to remember what it was like to be on her side. He shoved the memories away. They were useless now. "I see your skills have improved," Itachi commented.

She shot him a withering look while trying not to feel pleased with his praise. Now was not the time to start thinking of Itachi as an ally. When this mission was over he would be gone again and she would have to hunt him down. As a missing nin, he would have to be killed. Besides, Sasuke still wanted to avenge his clan. She had once promised him that she wouldn't get in his way and she intended to keep that promise.

Nanami walked up to the door the men were guarding. After testing the door she found it locked. "Can you still pick locks?"

He nodded and knelt in front of the door. A second or two later he stood up. "Done."

Nanami rolled her eyes at the smug sound in his tone. Lock picking was a trick he had learned when he was younger and curious about what was behind any locked door. People would never guess it but Itachi had an extremely curious mind and never let his curiosity go unsatisfied. Nanami had never bothered to learn how to pick the locks because he knew how, so if she wanted a lock picked she could just ask him. He often told her that she should learn how. Never knew when such a skill would come in handy after all. Now he was all smug because he had been right. She should have learned how.

She opened the door slowly and peered in carefully with her senses alert. There was only one person inside. Nanami rushed over to the bed where Sakura lay unconscious. The pink haired medic had a bump on her head where she had been hit. Nanami placed a hand over it and used her medical abilities to repair the damage. Sakura stirred just a little. Her green eyes opened a slit. When she saw Nanami sitting next to her, she sat up quickly.

"Nanami? Where am I? What happened?" Sakura demanded.

"Calm down," Nanami whispered. "We're still in enemy territory. What's the last thing you remember?"

Sakura frowned, "I returned home from the hospital and was going to pack. I was tired…" She trailed off as memories began to surface. "I was attacked and my instincts were too slow. I didn't notice that they were there until it was too late."

"You're fine now. They just knocked you out cold. There are a few bruises but not many. You'll be glad to know that you got in several shots of your own. Your apartment was a mess and not all of the blood was yours," Nanami pointed out when Sakura looked away in shame.

"Thanks, Nanami." That's when she saw Itachi. Her voice was like frost when she asked, "What's he doing here?"

"He and his partner are helping," Nanami replied through clenched teeth. "They apparently want to kill Orochimaru just as badly as we do."

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked. She had never heard her friend sound so…upset. It wasn't just anger in Nanami's gray eyes but also misery.

"She's fine. Just doesn't like me," Itachi replied.

Nanami shot him a glare. "'Doesn't like' is too weak of a term for what I feel for you, Itachi. I hate you."

"Yes, I know," He responded with an odd look in his eyes. "We need to go before someone comes to check on things."

The two girls nodded and they stood. The three shinobi left the village as quietly as they had come in. Once they joined the other Leaf Village shinobi, Sakura demanded to know what was going on. Nanami explained the plan to her. Sakura nearly exploded. "What do you mean Sasuke-kun was sent in there without any backup?!"

"It was the only way to get someone inside. We also needed the distraction," Shikamaru replied calmly.

"Besides," Nanami added, "we were afraid Orochimaru would kill you if Sasuke didn't show up quickly. It was a good way to stall so we could get you out alive."

"I know but…" Sakura trailed off realizing that she was complaining. "Did he have to go alone?"

"It would have been a risk to send anyone else with him. Orochimaru might have just ordered your death."

"Alright," Sakura sighed unhappily. She forced herself to focus on what needed to be done. "What now?"

"I'm going back in to tell Sasuke that we're ready for the attack," Nanami replied. "Neji will guide me to him and then give us five minutes to get into position."

"I want to go," Sakura stated. "Let me go tell him we're ready."

"But we just got you out of there," Naruto objected. "We're not going to just sent you right back in there."

Nanami was watching Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi was obviously worried, but she was also very determined. Nothing would stop her from going to Sasuke. If they refused to let her go then she would just follow Nanami. "Let her go," Nanami ordered.

"What?!" Naruto shouted.

"I said, let her go. She's perfectly capable of telling him we're ready and Sasuke will keep an eye on her. I healed the damage done to her so she should be fine."

Sakura beamed and Nanami, "Thank you."

Nanami shrugged, "I would have done the same thing if it was someone I love." She handed her headset to Sakura. "Now follow Neji's instructions. He'll use his byakugan to direct you straight to Sasuke. Tell him we're ready and that we'll be attacking in five minutes. Stay with Sasuke. He wants to face Orochimaru so you can help him should any other shinobi be with the snake when Sasuke finds him. The rest of team 7, me, Itachi, and Kisame will catch up as soon as we can."

Sakura nodded. She entered the Sound Village quietly, weaving her way through the streets until she reached the center building where Sasuke was waiting. The Konoha medic listened to Neji's quiet voice in her ear as he directed her through the building. _"Turn right here. Keep going straight…Left here." _So the instructions continued until Sakura stood in front of the right door. After a brief hesitation she entered the room.

It was dark. She couldn't see more than a few inches in front of her face. There didn't seem to be anyone inside. Sakura strained to hear or see something. She let out a surprised yelp when someone shoved her back against the door. The kunoichi felt a cool metal of a kunai against her throat and the heat of a body in front of her. She stifled the urge to immediately punch whoever was pinning her.

"Sasuke-kun? It's me. Sakura."

The kunai was removed. The man in front of her moved and there was a spark as he lit a lamp. Sakura had taken a few steps forward but she retreated again when she saw the look on Sasuke's face. He was beyond angry. He looked furious. She found her back pressed against the door again. Sasuke stalked forward until he was only a foot or two away from her.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" he demanded

"I was sent to tell you that we're ready for the attack," she responded. She couldn't figure out why he was so angry. "Why are you mad?"

"Because we did all of this to get you out. Now you're back in. What were you thinking?"

"I was worried about you," she snapped. "Sorry if that puts a monkey wrench in your plans but I had to make sure you were alright."

"Why, Sakura? Why would you risk your life like this? If you had been hurt or killed because of me…" Sasuke couldn't even finish the thought. The guilt would have been unbearable. He didn't think he could live with knowing he was the reason she was dead.

She took his face in her hands and smiled up at him. "I'm not hurt, Sasuke-kun. Now, we have about five minutes to get into our positions. I don't know where that is so you'll have to lead."

He nodded but didn't move. When he had discovered that Orochimaru had kidnapped her, he had been terrified. The snake could have killed her and Sasuke couldn't have saved her. What would he have done then? Regrets had piled up in his mind, like he hadn't apologized for shoving her away all those years. Not that he had planned on apologizing but when he thought she could be dead it suddenly seemed important. Another more important regret was that he never told her that he cared. She was one of his best friends, perhaps more than that, but he hadn't told her. For perhaps the first time in his life, he allowed his emotions to take control for just a moment. Sasuke lowered his head and captured her mouth with his. Sakura would have let out a gasp of surprise if his mouth hadn't been in the way. He knew he shouldn't have kissed her. Now he didn't want to stop and they were on a time limit. He pulled away regretfully, and smirked when he saw the dazed look in her eyes.

"We should get going."

"Right," she replied as she forced her mind back on the attack.

He led the way through the building. Sasuke wasn't sure what had come over him when he had kissed Sakura, but he wasn't sure he minded that much. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. Now was not the time to worry about such things. He would think about his feelings later, when they weren't on their way to a battle.

----------_With Nanami, Itachi, and Kisame----------_

Nanami wasn't upset. No. She was pissed. Not only was she teamed up with Itachi again, but she was paired up with both Itachi _and_ Kisame. Things couldn't get worse. At least she didn't think they could. If she had only known.

The leave village shinobi had surrounded the Sound Village and prepared to attack. Nanami, Itachi, and Kisame were supposed to be making their way to the main building for the attack. Sasuke wanted to fight Orochimaru himself but he might need backup. No one expected the snake to be alone. If Sasuke wanted a fair fight he would need help. At some point they lost Kisame. Or maybe he wondered off intentionally. Nanami was never sure. All she knew was that one moment he was there and then the next he wasn't. Now she was alone with Itachi. That was just perfect…not.

"Will you stop glaring at me? It's not my fault that Kisame disappeared. Besides, you'll burn a hole through my cloak."

"Good. I don't like the cloak anyway," she snapped.

Itachi merely shrugged. "I see your temper hasn't changed."

She nearly hit him. Would have if she hadn't remembered that they were on a mission and it wasn't to kill Itachi…yet. She wondered if Sasuke would mind if Itachi were to accidentally get killed before he could get his revenge. She could make the death look like an accident. That would cover all her bases. But how to make an accidental death slow and painful? That would be the problem.

"I know what you're thinking," he informed her.

"No you don't."

"You're planning my death. Probably a slow and painful one."

If looks could kill, Itachi would have killed over on the spot. Nanami gave him a fierce glare. Mostly because he was right and she didn't want him to be. She was about to give him a snappy come back but never got the opportunity. Itachi suddenly turned and slammed her against the wall in a dark corner. "What…"

He covered her mouth with his hand and moved so that his mouth was against her ear. "Quiet. Someone's coming," he ordered in a whisper only she could hear.

Itachi was so close she could feel the heat coming off his body. The breath against her ear sent shivers through her body. Nanami chose to ignore all of this and tried to locate the enemy. She heard the footsteps coming down the hall. A slight shift had her whispering into Itachi's ear. "How many?"

"Five."

She nodded and prepared for the fight. If they were spotted they would have to kill them all before they could sound an alarm. The group of men were getting closer. Nanami held her breath. Itachi moved closer to her while pulling out a kunai. They both heard Orochimaru's voice as he gave orders to the men around him. They had discovered that Sakura was missing. The voiced continued down the hall until their footsteps faded.

Nanami shifted but Itachi didn't move. She looked up to give him a disgruntled look. When she saw his dark eyes looking down at her, she sucked in a breath. She couldn't tell what emotion was in his eyes, but for some reason it made her body feel like she had just run a mile. To hide her reaction she glared at him and tried to snap him out of it. "Itachi, we need to go," she whispered.

He stepped back with a nod. His eyes were once again the red of the sharingan. They wove their way through the city until they found Sasuke and Sakura. Kisame was already with them. He grinned at the two of them. "What took you so long?"

"Shut up, Kisame," Nanami snapped. "Did you get lost or something?"

"No."

She gave him a glare to show what she thought of his disappearing act and turned to Sasuke. "We just heard Orochimaru and he's going the other way."

"I know. He was in here first. I've already told the others to wait a few more minutes. The snake will be back in here."

"Alright, will he have Kabuto with him." At Sasuke's nod, she said, "I'll fight him."

"Why?" Itachi asked.

"He's a very skilled medical nin. It will take another skilled one to counter many of his attacks." She grinned, "I'm going to put the little boy in his place."

"Who's you're back up?" Sasuke asked looking at Itachi and Kisame with distrust.

"No one in particular. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai should be here soon but it looks like the fight will start before they get here," Nanami commented.

"He's coming," Itachi stated.

Everyone went silent as the doors opened. Orochimaru walked in with several men, including Kabuto. Nanami kept her eyes on the young medic. From what she heard he was very skilled. Tsunade told her that he could even compare with several members of the Tsukino clan. Nanami grinned. It has been a long time since she has had a decent opponent. They heard a loud explosion. It was the signal. The fight had begun.

Sasuke and his group jumped out of hiding. Orochimaru turned just in time to block Sasuke's sword from slicing him in two with his own sword. The sound of metal on metal filled the room. "So you're on their side, Sasuke. That's very disappointing."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You can't even begin to imagine how little I care about disappointing you."

Sasuke shifted and moved his sword so that he could hit Orochimaru. The snake was just as quick to block and counter with his own attack. Their fight had begun. Orochimaru's men started to help but Kisame, Itachi, Sakura, and Nanami stood in their way.

Kisame grinned as he pulled out his sword, "Finally. I get to fight. Now make it worth my while." He attacked and sent men scattering. Kisame wasn't like Itachi. He may had a smooth and polite manner but he loved a good fight. Itachi preferred to avoid fighting when he could. It often surprised people to find out that the older Uchiha was actually a pacifist. Kisame suffered from none of that nonsense. He grinned as Orochimaru's men tried to fight and kill him.

Itachi moved so that he was close to Nanami so he could watch her back. It wasn't that he cared, he assured himself. It was just an old habit ingrained him him from years of training with her. He glanced at her to see her gray eyes had a fire in them and smirked. Her usual passionate nature was showing again. He often told her that she should learn to control her emotions but she never did. Instead, she proved to him that not controlling them was her strength. Her anger, pain, or sorrow often gave her the strength to keep fighting even when logic would have told her to give up. Perhaps that worked for her but he could never do it. Itachi had never allowed his emotions even one second of control. It was one thing that part of him had always envied Nanami for.

As Itachi fought a large group of Orochimaru's underlings, Kabuto stood across from Nanami with a smirk. "You're Nanami Tsukino, right?"

She nodded, "That would be me."

"I've been wanting to fight you for a while now. Ever since we met at the Heaven and Earth Bridge. I've heard of your clan. Their suppose to be very skilled at the healing arts. It is said that the only person outside the clan who can compare to their abilities to heal is Lady Tsunade."

"I've heard that too," Nanami replied.

Kabuto took a fighting stance, "I'm going to prove that wrong. I will prove that I'm just as great as your clan."

Nanami smirked, "Then I recommend you get started."

Kabuto attacked. At first Nanami didn't fight back. Instead she dodged and blocked every one of his attacks. Like most medical nins, her strength was in dodging so she incorporated that into a style that was purely hers. At the beginning of almost every fight she would go on the defensive and memorized attack patterns and looked for weaknesses. Once she decided she had seen enough she would attack. Usually her fights ended quickly once she started to attack. She didn't think this one would be any different.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai came in just in time. A large group of Sound nin had just entered the room and were about to attack. That would have given Orochimaru the advantage but Naruto wasn't going to allow that. He used his shadow clone jutsu and began the attack. Sai moved in and took down several men with a few swipes of his paint brush. The room was quickly filled with the sounds and smells of battle.

Nanami dodged a chakra infused hand of Kabuto. She had to admit that the boy was good. He really could rival a great many of her clan members in medical knowledge. In a few years, he might have even compared to her. She almost felt bad for being forced to destroy such talent. He kicked her in the side and she gasped in shock and pain. Damn, he was really good. She wrapped her arm around his leg and punched him with all her strength. He was sent flying across the room. She calmly walked over to him. Kabuto stood up and spit out the blood that had filled his mouth.

"That's the first time you've hit me," he commented.

"I know."

His eyes narrowed. He had already discovered her weak point. Nanami had a temper. If he could ignite it she wouldn't think clearly giving him the advantage. The problem was finding the right button to push. "I never thought your village would forgive Itachi so quickly. What did he do to earn the second chance?" Kabuto gave a knowing smirk, "I heard you two had been engaged once. Did he and you...reconnect so to speak?"

Nanami's eyes narrowed. She knew what he was suggesting. As if she would betray her friends by sleeping with Itachi. Nanami was also perfectly aware of Kabuto's plan. Itachi had pointed out her weakness too often for her not to be aware of it. So she had a temper and at one time that might have been a weakness. Her training with Kakashi had changed that though. The copy ninja had showed her a way she could use the anger that so easily boiled in her. Kabuto might not like what happened if he managed to ignite her anger.

"I'll take that as a yes. Here I thought you're clan was big on loyalty."

"We are. Itachi and Kisame are only here long enough to help beat Orochimaru."

He smirked, "You'll need all the help you can get. You've only gotten one hit in and that barely scratched me."

Nanami felt her temper spark for just a moment.

Kabuto's eyes gleamed when he saw the tell tale spark in her eyes. "I think I've sufficiently proven that I'm just as skilled as any member of your clan. You're pathetic," he sneered. "I've barely broken a sweat. What did you think that medical ninjutsu would come easily to you because it's your clan's specialty? You're pathetic if you can only land one blow during this entire fight. It's time to end this fight."

Her temper exploded. How dare this young kid think that he could compare to her. He knew nothing of hard work and effort. She moved before she really thought about her actions. Her fist rammed into his stomach with enough force to have several ribs cracking. She didn't give him time to recover. Her foot connected with his head sending him crashing through the wall. She went after him with blood in her eyes.

"You're not finished already are you, Kabuto?" she demanded. She picked him up by his shirt. When she released his shirt, she began punching him again and again. The force of her punches kept him from falling down. "Don't tell me I don't train. I trained ten hours a day since I was five years old to master my techniques. Sure you have some talent but it's nothing to what I'm capable of so don't you dare compare yourself to me." She suddenly stepped back and said, "That's enough."

He fell to the ground. She watched him fall without any emotion now. That was the problem with getting that angry. She always felt so drained later. Kabuto pushed himself up and glared at her. He attacked her again without hesitation. His body screamed in agony from the beating she had already given him. Nanami calmly dodged his attacks. She really wished it hadn't come to this but he wouldn't change. With a sigh of regret she braced herself for his next attack.

Kabuto fought hard and Nanami was once again impressed by his skills. She dodged another punch but this time she grabbed his arm. Using his momentum and her own strength she pulled him towards her. There was the sickening sound of something stabbing into flesh. Kabuto coughed out blood and Nanami gently lowered him to the floor. The last thing Kabuto saw was the pity in Nanami Tsukino's eyes as she pulled the kunai from his stomach and sliced his throat. Nanami didn't move for a moment as she looked into Kabuto's dark, dead eyes. It really was a shame that such talent was wasted. She closed his eyes and said a prayer for his soul. Why not? He had saved people with his gifts on occasion. Nanami wasn't sure what she believed in when it came to the after life but with Kabuto she hoped for reincarnation. Perhaps his life wouldn't be wasted if he were reborn. She stood and walked away without looking back.

While Nanami was fighting with Kabuto, Sasuke and Naruto battled with Orochimaru. The younger Uchiha hadn't wanted the help at first but eventually gave in. He couldn't beat Orochimaru alone and it was time he stop trying to. Sasuke and Naruto made an extraordinary team. Orochimaru hated to admit it but they were very good. Too bad he would have to kill them both.

He sliced into Naruto's side with his sword but Sasuke attacked before he could kill the fox boy. Orochimaru turned his attention to Sasuke and the ring of metal filled the room as their swords clashed. It didn't take long for Naruto to jump into the fight once again. Orochimaru grinned when he smelled the fresh sent of blood. He would win. Of course he would. How could he think for a moment that these two brats could compare to his strength. Using several of his snake jutsus and his sword Orochimaru toyed with his pray. For a moment he would let everyone believe that Sasuke and Naruto were winning. Then with a smirk he would turn the tables on them.

After what felt like hours, Sasuke and Naruto stood gasping for breath. They were running out of options. Naruto could feel the nine-tailed fox's chakra fighting to break free. He spent a great deal of time trying to avoid depending on the fox. He had a suspicion that the fox wanted him to depend on it so that it could find a way to break free. Sasuke was having similar problems fighting his curse seal. He was running low on chakra and when that happened his seal always started to take control. Nanami's clan had spent the last three years trying to find a cure. Kimiko, Nanami's grandmother, believes she found one but there hadn't been time to use it before the fight with Orochimaru. As both Naruto and Sasuke battle their inner demons, they fought with Orochimaru with all their strength.

"Naruto, we need to give everything we have in one last attack. You ready?

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We've tried being smart. Now it's time to be stupid."

Naruto summoned several clones and began to prepare the Rasengan. Sasuke took the stance for Chidori. Orochimaru grinned. He could block this then he would win. They were using all of their chakra for these attacks. Naruto even tapped into the fox's chakra to make sure the Rasengan had enough strength to end the fight once and for all.

Itachi shook his head, "It won't work."

"Why do you say that?" Nanami asked.

"He knows it's coming. Orochimaru is very good. He'll dodge them unless he's caught by surprise or distracted. He's neither right now." The older Uchiha frowned, "I'm surprised he's even letting them finish building the chakra for the jutsus. His arrogance will be his downfall."

Nanami looked back to the fight and nodded. Itachi was right. "Itachi."

"What?"

"Join me in a fight." Nanami attacked without waiting for Itachi's response. Itachi let out a curse as he went after her. Orochimaru was forced to take his eyes off of Naruto and Sasuke to face the more immediate threats of Nanami and Itachi. He knew they were distracting him but he couldn't do anything but let them. If he didn't defend himself they would kill him before Naruto and Sasuke got the chance. He was already wary of Itachi since the older Uchiha had already beaten him once. Everyone watched the brief fight and was surprised by the teamwork between Nanami and Itachi. There was no talking or signals between them yet they covered each other flawlessly.

Second after the fight started, Sasuke shouted at Nanami to get out of the way. Her and Itachi quickly moved away from Orochimaru just in time. Sasuke and Naruto had already begun their charge. Orochimaru pulled out his sword and tried to block the attacks. Everything seemed move in slow motions. The Chidori and the Rasengan hit at the same time. Orochimaru blocked them for a moment with his sword before it shattered. The Chidori went through Orochimaru's heart, while the Rasengan slammed into his stomach. There was a flash of light that blinded everyone. When it cleared Orochimaru was lying on the ground. Sasuke and Naruto were standing a few feet away supporting each other.

The snake coughed blood and smirked. "You're just like your brother, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Damn it. He had just spent the last three years trying to avoid being compared to his brother. Why did everyone keep telling him he was just like Itachi? "I'm nothing like that murdering bastard."

Orochimaru's eyes suddenly took on a knowing gleam. "You still think he killed your clan. How unexpected."

"Shut up, Orochimaru," Itachi stated coldly.

"You should tell him, Itachi," the snake taunted. "Otherwise how will he react when he discovers he killed a loving brother rather than the enemy?" He coughed more blood. Nanami could see that his life was slipping away. Orochimaru didn't have much time left among the living and he seemed determined to leave everyone in confusion.

"That is none of your concern," the older Uchiha snapped. His blood red eyes bore into Orochimaru with murderous intent. Nanami had never seen him so riled. The snake knew something that Itachi didn't want shared.

"Oh but it is. You see, I'm in agreement with Sasori. When someone beats me I feel the need to leave them a parting gift. My give to Sasuke is the knowledge that he's hunting the wrong man. Itachi Uchiha did not kill his clan." A pool of blood had formed beneath Orochimaru and was getting larger. He seemed to having a hard time speaking now. "I won't tell who killed the Uchiha clan. That would be too easy. Let Sasuke…figure…that out…for himself…."

* * *

That's it for now. I think this has been my longest chapter yet. Anyway, sorry that Orochimar's fight isn't very long. I haven't seen him fight very much so I don't know what his abilities are. I knew he liked snake jutsus and had a sword that popped out of his mouth (though how it got in there to begin with I don't want to know). I used this little knowledge to fake it. I hope it was good enough to at least make things semi interesting.

Let me know what you think please....Oh, and just a reminder. I have completed one of my other fanfics (A Suna Story) with in the last few months so I want to remind everyone that I will be accepting story ideas if you have any. I will use my profile page to let people know what stories i'm considering. That way you can tell me which one you want to read next. So don't forget to check my profile, or send me your own idea that you want to read then check my profile to see if it made the list this time.


	13. Facing the Truth

I'm finished with this chapter a little sooner than expected. I hope you guys like it. So far I think I like this one better than the original version of the story but that could just be me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**

* * *

****Ch. 13: Facing the Truth**

Everyone turned to ask Itachi if what Orochimaru said was true but both of the Akatsuki members were gone. Nanami wasn't surprised. If Itachi didn't want them to know the truth then he certainly wouldn't stick around long enough for them to question him. The rest of the day was spent tending to the wounded and burning the bodies of the enemy. Because the attack had been a surprise none of the Konoha shinobi had been killed. Several were seriously injured but that was the extent of the damage.

Still they returned home exhausted and ready for a vacation. Tsunade listened to Nanami's report with interest. "So do you think Itachi killed his clan?"

"Of course," the gray eyed jonin replied. "Itachi told me that he killed his clan. He showed Sasuke using his Mangekyo Sharingan. There's no reason to suddenly doubt what happened just because Orochimaru wanted to leave us in a state of confusion."

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Yes actually. I'm going home the day after tomorrow." Nanami caught herself by surprise. She hadn't known that she wanted to go home until just now.

Apparently she surprised Tsunade as well because the hokage looked like she didn't believe what she had heard. "What?"

"I want to return to my clan for a while," Nanami repeated. "I need a vacation."

Tsunade nodded, "Alright. Give me your written report before you leave Konoha. Dismissed."

Nanami nodded and left. Sasuke was waiting for her outside the hokage's office. He looked at her with solemn dark eyes. "Did you tell her?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And what, Sasuke? There's no reason to change our minds about what happened to your clan. Orochimaru was dying and probably wanted to muddy the waters to annoy us. He was a sadistic bastard after all."

"I suppose you're right but…"

"I know," she agreed. It was hard to squash that part of her that wanted to believe Orochimaru's last words. She turned and started walking towards her apartment. Sasuke fell into step beside her. Her mouth curved into a bittersweet smile, "I want to believe that Orochimaru told us the truth but…Fairytales don't happen in real life. Besides, why would Itachi take the blame and leave Konoha if he didn't really kill your clan?"

"I don't know." He looked at her. It still surprised him to find that he had to look down now, though he knew he was taller than her. The top of Nanami's head barely reached his shoulders. If it weren't for her eyes people would think she was fragile based on her appearance alone. But her eyes normally gave away her strength. They weren't right then though. Instead they looked almost…sad. That bittersweet expression that always appeared when she thought of Itachi hid everything else. "Do you still love him?"

She let out a frustrated sigh, "I don't know. I don't want to. It would make my life easier if I didn't but… I don't think I can hate him."

He blinked in surprised, "That's the first time you didn't just say no."

"I almost did. I lie about my feelings concerning your brother everyday. To others and to myself. If I allow myself to think for even an instant that I still love him…I think I would go insane. So I lie to get myself through a day. One day I'll have to tell the truth but for now the lie works."

"What is the truth?"

"I don't know yet. When I have to know, I will."

"Why aren't you lying now?"

"Because I respect you too much to lie. I've only admitted the truth to one other person."

"Who?"

"Kakashi. It was the day you first became a genin and told Kakashi about your goals. He asked me how I felt about them and I was honest with him…well, as honest as I could be."

Sasuke fell into silence as he considered what she had said. That's when a realization hit him. "I almost did the same thing to my friends, didn't I? I mean. I almost made them have to pretend to hate me even when they didn't."

Nanami nodded, "Yes, you did."

Sasuke looked at Nanami's eyes that were filled with pain and sorrow for what was lost to her. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. He had been walking down the same path as his brother so he had almost done this to his friends. He had almost put that look in their eyes. Had things gone just a little differently they would have had to pretend to hate just to make it through a day. If he had joined Orochimaru, would Sakura have that same bittersweet smile that was even now on Nanami's face? No wonder Nanami fought so hard to keep him from joining Orochimaru. She knew what it felt like to be the one forced into hating someone she once loved. What else could she do but keep Naruto and Sakura from suffering the same fate she did? If he had thought things through, he would have realized the truth before too. He also knew what it felt like after all. He had also been betrayed by someone he loved. And Sakura…He didn't even what to think about what he almost did to his pink haired kunoichi. That's when he realized something else that had him wondering if he had lost his mind.

"I have to go take care of something. I'll see you tomorrow, Nanami."

She nodded, "Good night, Sasuke."

He waved and rushed off in search of someone in particular. It didn't take him long to locate her. Sakura was walking home from the hospital. Her instincts were slow after using so much chakra to heal the injured. Sasuke had his arms around her and pulled against him before she even realized he was there. She let out a small yelp of surprise. "Sasuke-kun, don't scare me like that."

"Sorry."

The tone of his voice caught her attentions. It was softer than normal. Sasuke's tone always carried an undercurrent of anger before, but that wasn't there now. She pulled away and turned to face him. His eyes were softer too. In fact, all the traces of his anger were gone at that moment. She put a hand on his forehead and frowned. He didn't have a fever so he wasn't sick. "What is it? You look…different."

"I just realized something that changes a few things for me. That's all."

"Oh?"

He pulled her into a hug and held her tight. "For the last seven years I had only one thing to live for. Avenging my clan. That's changed now. I have something else I want to live for and I didn't realize it until now."

"And what is that?" Sakura whispered. She didn't know why but she was feeling very nervous. It annoyed her that she couldn't see his face, even though his expression would give anything away.

Sasuke whispered something in her ear that Sakura would never forget as long as she lived. Her eyes widened in shock and insisted that he let her see his face. He loosened his grip so that she could. She saw it then. Deep in those onyx eyes was the truth. She smiled at him and threw her arms around his neck. It didn't matter that he would never say those words again. It didn't matter that it had taken him this long to realize that he even wanted to say them once. All that mattered was that they were true.

"I love you too, Sasuke-kun," she responded in a delighted voice. Sasuke smirked. He hadn't forgotten his second goal in life. He lifted Sakura into his arms and headed to the Uchiha compound. He would never forget his clan and would avenge them one day. Until then, he would still live his life. For the first time in his life, Sasuke Uchiha allowed himself to be happy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, and Nanami were gathered at the ramen shop talking and laughing with each other. Nanami kept herself distant from them. A part of her was still in turmoil over Orochimaru's last words. Why didn't she kill him before he had the chance to speak, damn it? Now she was paying for that mistake. It didn't help that she was dreaming of Itachi again. The man couldn't even leave her alone in her sleep. That pissed her off and at the same time it scared her.

"Are you alright, Nanami?" Sakura asked bringing Nanami back to the present.

She smiled, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about taking a vacation."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed on her face. That bittersweet look was still in her eyes and it worried him. He had never seen her with it for more that a few hours. It had been a little over a day, but the look showed no sign of leaving. "A vacation?"

"Yes. It's been a while since I visited my clan so I was thinking that I would. Actually, I already told Lady Tsunade that I'd be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Now that I think about it you're right. It had been a while since you've seen your clan," Sakura commented. The thought of Nanami leaving scared her. The older woman had a habit of making it feel like everything would be alright. If she wasn't there that sense of security wouldn't be there either. "But, you'll be leaving the rest of us. We might need you. Especially with the Akatsuki after Naruto."

Nanami smiled, "I didn't say anything about going alone."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked curiously.

"I was planning on taking the four of you with me."

There was a loud cheer and everyone scattered to get ready for the trip. Nanami laughed as she went to her apartment. Kakashi was waiting inside for her and nearly scared her to death. "Damn it, Kakashi. Why didn't you wait for me to come home before breaking and entering?"

"Because that isn't as fun." His eyes suddenly showed concern, "Are you alright? I didn't get to talk to you after Orochimaru's little announcement."

"I'll be fine. It's just a little unsettling."

He nodded, "Tsunade told me that you've asked for a leave of absence."

"I have. I need…time. I have to work through my emotions again. It's been a long time since I've had this much trouble fighting by emotions." She allowed her guard to drop. It was alright now. Kakashi knew the truth anyway. Her cheerful smile faded to a bitter one. The strength in her eyes faded until her pain was visible in their gray depths. "Since the night he killed his clan I've been in absolute control but I can feel that control slipping now. I don't know what to do anymore, Kakashi."

"I'm going with you. To your compound."

She nodded. It didn't surprise her. There weren't many people who mattered to Kakashi and he was fiercely protective of the ones that did. She was among them along with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "Your team and Hinata are coming too. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"I didn't expect you to take others with you."

Nanami chuckled, "I'm not the only one that needs a vacation. I can do what I need to do just fine with them there. Sasuke is the only one outside my family that can read me well enough to be a problem." She looked at him, "Actually, that's not true. You can read me too."

"But that's not a problem."

"No. You don't want to kill Itachi."

"No, I don't."

Nanami wrote her report on the Orochimaru mission and turned it in to Tsunade. The hokage looked at the heir to the Tsukino clan with some worry. "When will you return?"

"I don't know." Nanami couldn't answer that. She didn't even know if she would come back. Her job here was finished after all. Sasuke was on the right path now and there was no danger of backsliding. She wasn't needed anymore. She could finally concentrate on other things. Her clan didn't normally get involved with Konoha anyways. That was why their compound was a day's journey from the village, so the village would have no control over her clan.

"Alright," Tsunade replied in understanding. She was aware of Nanami's thoughts and hoped that the jonin would return to the village. "Get some much deserved rest, Nanami. I hope the reclusiveness of your clan isn't contagious."

Nanami gave a nod and walked out. She spent the rest of the day packing her apartment. There wasn't much point in keeping it anymore. She looked around with slight nostalgia. It had been home for a little while, but she didn't think she would miss it. She missed the Tsukino compound and her family. Now she was going home. With a sigh she settled down to sleep.

They arrived at the Tsukino compound late the following night. As usual Nanami preferred to walk rather than run. Her clan greeted them cheerfully while seeing to it that they got some food and a place to sleep.

Lady Kimiko met them at the entrance as usual. She hit Nanami upside the head like she always did. Nanami rubbed the spot Kimiko had hit with a rueful smile. "Come on, Grandma. Do you have to hit me every time you see me?"

"If you don't start visiting more often, yes."

Everyone got a good laugh when Nanami groaned in annoyance. The two continued to have a small argument about whether or not Kimiko was allowed to hit Nanami. The rest of the group was led to bedrooms. Everyone settled down to sleep for the night except for Nanami. Nanami pretended to sleep until everyone was already in bed. She slipped out of her room and walked down the hall. She paused outside the door to one of the rooms then knocked quietly.

"Come in, Nanami. You never have to knock to come in here."

Nanami smiled ruefully as she walked into the room. It was a study that was shaped like a half circle. The wall opposite the door was made up of windows and had a large oak desk. The rest of the walls were covered in shelves loaded in books. Every book was connected to medicine or their clan's kekkei genkai. Behind the desk was Lady Kimiko. A book was open in front of her. Kimiko had been expecting Nanami to come. Her granddaughter was so predictable. When Nanami was younger, she often came to this room late at night for advice. Things didn't change as she got older.

"How did you know it was me?" Nanami asked.

"You always come to me when you need help with something. You also don't do anything without a purpose. There's a reason you've returned home now, rather that waiting until Sasuke was happily married like you planned originally." Kimiko smiled, "Now tell grandma everything that's bothering you."

Nanami sat on the visitors chair on the opposite side of the desk from her grandmother. "You use to say that when I was little too."

"It always worked. Now quit stalling and get it over with."

"Alright, alright." Nanami told her what had happened when they attacked Orochimaru.

Kimiko listened carefully. Nanami had a habit of telling everything like a report. She would leave out her own emotional response and only give the hard facts. There were only five people who could read between the lines and see what Nanami wasn't saying. Kimiko prided herself on being one of the five. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Nanami's parents are the other four. Kimiko could see the anger in Nanami's eyes as she spoke of Itachi but she could also see something else. Something Nanami tried to deny with every breath.

"Do you believe Orochimaru?" Kimiko asked curiously.

"I don't know what I believe. Part of me wants to believe it but at the same time I…I'm afraid to believe it."

"And what makes you afraid?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me, Nanami Tsukino," Kimiko snapped. "You know exactly what you feel. Now admit it."

Nanami shoo her head violently. "I can't!" she shouted.

"Yes you can and you will." Kimiko stood and moved around the desk. "Now admit it, Nanami. Tell me what is at the core of your problem. That's an order."

"Fine!" Nanami shouted. Tears of frustration and anger fell down her face but she ignored them. "I love him! Is that what you want to hear?! I'm in love with a monster that was capable of killing his entire clan!" She gave a humorless chuckle and hugged herself. "I'm in love with Itachi Uchiha." Her eyes snapped open and she glared at her grandmother. "Is that what you wanted to hear, grandmother?!"

Kimiko nodded with a soft smile. "Yes, Nanami. Was that so hard to admit?"

"Yes, it was! I love him!" Nanami was shaking now. Her emotions began to boil over as they all fought to break free Do you know what that meand?! It means that I've betrayed my friends and family because I can't hate him! Not only that but I've betrayed everything I believe in by loving him! I'm a traitor to everyone! Sasuke has a right to question me now!"

"That's not true, Nanami."

"Yes, it is!"

"Nanami!" Kimiko snapped. She had to bring Nanami out of her sorrow or she's fall to pieces. "You are not a traitor!" She softened her voice when Nanami finally looked at her. "you're not betraying anyone by having feelings for Itachi. The only time you'll betray anyone by admitting how you feel about anything is if you let those feeling lead you to committing an act of betrayal."

Nanami looked away. She wasn't sure she was convinced that what her grandmother told her was the truth. There was no doubt in her mind that Sasuke would think she was a traitor. Hell, she thought she was a traitor. How could she expect Sasuke to feel any different?

"Now don't you feel better, Nanami?" Kimiko asked with a cheerful smile.

"Why in the world would I feel better? I just admitted to loving my enemy. How does that make me feel better?" Nanami demanded.

"Now dear, you are many things but stupid wasn't supposed to be one of them. To solve a problem you have to know the cause. Your feelings for Itachi are the core of all your problems. You couldn't solve the problem until you admitted that you loved him to yourself."

Nanami sighed, "I suppose you're right. The problem is…I don't know what to do about it even though I've admitted it. What am I suppose to do, grandmother? I…I can't change the way I feel. We've already established this. So what…so what am I suppose to do?"

"What ever you need too." Kimiko watched as the emotions inside Nanami began to break free. She had been waiting for this for quite some time. Nanami had been denying her feelings for the last seven years. First it was merely to survive from day to day without falling apart. Then it was because Sasuke needed her to be strong for him. Now it was time for her to allow herself to feel again. Then perhaps Nanami will be able to move on with her life. Kimiko didn't believe that Nanami would ever love anyone else but that wasn't the goal. The goal was for Nanami to be at peace with herself and her own feelings. Then perhaps she wouldn't get that bittersweet expression on her face every time she thought of Itachi. "Maybe you should go get some sleep, dear. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Yeah. Maybe." Nanami left the study but she didn't go to bed. Instead she waited until she was outside her grandmother's study and ran as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going and she didn't care. All she wanted was to outrun her pain. She had promised herself that she was done crying but if she stopped running she would break that promise. Tears were still threatening to spill and her sorrow out weighed her anger.

'I love him,' she thought again. She couldn't believe she admitted it. 'I love him.' Wasn't she just telling Sasuke that she couldn't admit it? That had been just yesterday. Now it felt like a hundred years ago. 'I love him.' She had told him that if she allowed herself to believe it then she would break. Nothing seemed truer now. 'I love him.'

When Nanami finally came back to her senses she broke. It was here, in this beautiful clearing, that Itachi lied to her. The clearing was the same as always. A beautiful waterfall fell into a pool of crystal clear water. The forest was all around it, giving the feeling of seclusion. One could stand in that clearing and believe that there was no one else in the entire world. Nanami had spent many happy days and nights in this clearing with Itachi. Well, they had been happy for her. She was never sure what he made of them. At the time she thought he enjoyed those days too. Now…now she just didn't know.

She glared at the waterfall. Cupping her hands around her mouth she shouted, "Why, Itachi?! Give me something because I'm tired of wondering what's going on in your head?! This is the last time I cry for you! Do you hear me, Itachi?!" She didn't know why she was shouting it. All that mattered was that it was helping her control the emotions boiling inside of her. "You never cared! All those times you were here, those were all lies! I hope you're happy with that because your lies have made me miserable! I hate you, Itachi Uchiha. I hate your strength, your brains, your looks! I hate everything about you! But most of all, Itachi, I hate that I love you." The tears were falling again but she didn't stop them this time. She wrapped her arms around herself and sank to the ground. "I hate you because I love you," she whispered this time.

On the other side of a tree a man closed his eyes and steeled himself. He couldn't come out. No matter how much he longed to comfort her, to erase her tears. He couldn't go to her. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest. Damn it. Why now? Why did he come to this spot now? He couldn't hear her, but he sensed her pain and that was torturing him. He took one look around the tree and let out a sigh. She had fallen asleep. After a moment's hesitation he lifted her into his arms and took her back to her room. Her eyes open briefly when he laid her down on the bed. She mumbled his name and her eyes closed again.

"I'm sorry, Nanami," he whispered. Then he turned and left. Kimiko was waiting for him at the gates to the compound. He found himself wanting to smile just a little. The old woman was crazy but she was very wise.

Nanami's grandmother smiled at him, much to his surprise. "Hello, Itachi. What brings you here?"

Itachi didn't bother responding. Kimiko examined him. He didn't look that different from the last time she had seen him. Itachi still gazed at the world with the red eyes of the Uchiha clan. His dark hair was still long with bangs framing his face. He wore a large black cloak with red clouds on it. She assumed that was the Akatsuki cloak that Nanami mentioned once before.

"Come to finish what you started seven years ago?" she asked calmly. When his eyes narrowed she grinned. He knew she was talking about Sasuke and obviously didn't like it. "I didn't think so. Sasuke always was your one weak spot."

He still didn't speak.

"As talkative as usual I see." Her eyes suddenly narrowed and her voice was sharp. "Why are you here? You're presence causes my granddaughter pain and I won't have you toying with her."

"I would never toy with her," he replied calmly. Now why had he done that? He hadn't intended on answering her, but he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut.

"Then why are you here?"

He looked away. How was he supposed to answer that one? He had seen Nanami lying on the ground and he hadn't been able to leave her there. Before he knew it he had started to carry her home. He didn't even believe his excuse. How could he expect Kimiko to? He didn't. She would probably call him a liar. He would have.

Kimiko sighed, "You're worse than Nanami. At least I got her to face the truth. You're still in denial aren't you, Itachi? Are you still pretending that you don't care?"

His eyes narrowed. He couldn't let her question that. "I don't care."

"Liar. I'm not an idiot so I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like one." She let out a small sigh. "Others may believe you killed your clan but I don't. I don't even think Nanami really believes it, though she'd never admit that. So why don't you stop lying to me, Itachi."

"I can't."

"You know. Nanami said that same thing to me earlier today. But I believe you have a better reason that just not wanting to admit the truth. At least give us something, Itachi. Nanami needs something go hope for. Or to know that she should let you go."

He opened his mouth with the lie on the tip of his tongue. He planned to tell her to make Nanami let him go. That much he would swear too, but that wasn't what came out when he spoke. Instead he found himself saying, "If I tell the truth he will kill Sasuke and Nanami. I can't allow that."

"Who?"

"I've said too much," he grumbled more to himself that to Kimiko. What was the matter with him? He was known for his silent attitude, and yet here he was talking about things he shouldn't. "Tell Nanami to move on with her life. When Sasuke and I meet next time, we will have a fight to the death."

"Who's death? Yours or his?"

He didn't answer. Instead he walked by her towards the gate. "Nanami's better off without me. Make sure she knows that." He disappeared into the night and managed to only look back once.

Kimiko looked to her left and spoke into the shadows. "How much have you over heard?"

"All of it," came the reply. Sasuke walked forward with a frustrated look in his dark eyes. "I don't know what to do anymore than Nanami does. Everything just gets more and more confusing with each day. I can only imagine what Nanami must be going through."

"What will you do? Itachi seems determined to keep up the belief that he killed his clan, whether he really did or not."

"I'm not sure what I believe." He raked fingers through his hair in frustration. "I think I'm going to try and find the truth. For Nanami's sake if nothing else."

Kimiko nodded, "Good. Now we just have to figure out how to find the truth."

"This is too much to think about tonight." Sasuke turned to go to bed. "I'll see you in the morning, Lady Kimiko."

"Oh, by the way, Sasuke. I should remind you that I plan to cure you of that curse mark tomorrow."

He nodded. "Of course."

Early the next morning, Sasuke knocked on Nanami's door. She looked up at him when he entered with a smile. Her smile faded when she saw the grim look on his face. "What? What is it?"

"I saw Itachi last night."

She frowned and looked out her window. "I thought I dreamed it," she whispered almost to herself. "I saw him too. Briefly, but I was so tired that I didn't believe it."

"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously. Sasuke didn't know if it was a good idea to tell her that he had heard her talking to her grandmother. It would probably only worry her. He didn't want to do that. She had enough to deal with. He didn't blame her for her feelings. THose were beyond her control. He found himself smirking. A few years ago he would have hated her for still loving Itachi. Now it was her actions that he judged her for. Sasuke knew that Nanami would never, ever betray him. That was what mattered.

She smiled, "I'm alright, or I will be. I just have a few demons to work through."

He nodded, "Your grandmother wants our presence. She's ready to remove the curse mark. I think she'll need your help."

"I'm coming."

They made their way through the compound until they reached a large empty room. Kimiko and Setsuna stood in the middle of the room. Setsuna was just standing after painting odd symbols on the floor. Kimiko smiled at them, "Welcome. Sasuke, you remember Setsuna, don't you?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yes. Nanami's father right?"

"That's me," Setsuna replied with a small smile.

Nanami grinned, "He's also supposed to be the head of the clan."

"What do you mean by supposed to be?" Sestuna asked in a calm tone while giving his daughter a mock glare.

"Well, everyone knows that grandmother is the real boss of the clan."

"Is that so?"

Kimiko looked at Setsuna, "Dear, have Sasuke sit in the center of the room."

"Of course, mother."

"See," Nanami said.

They all laughed. Kimiko looked at Sasuke who was sitting in the middle of the room now. "Are you ready?"

Sasuke allowed himself to relax, "I am."

Kimiko sat back and looked at her granddaughter. "Nanami dear, you will have to perform the jutsu."

"Of course." Nanami looked at her grandmother in confusion, "But why?"

"Because you have the closest connection to him. The process of removing the seal will depend somewhat on our kekkei genkai. I told you once that our kekkei genkai automatically heals people that we care about. You're bond with Sasuke is the strongest so you get to do the jutsu. Now let's get started."

* * *

That's it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you thought. I was very dissappointed about not having any reviews for the last chapter...thought one person did favorite the story...but reviews are still nice. I'll get the next chapter up ASAP.


	14. Innocent Meddling

I'm on a roll with this story. This chapter doesn't have much point. It was only a fun chapter to write and i found it amusing. I'll let you read the chapter now.

Disclaimer: insert standard disclaimer here.

* * *

**Ch. 14: Innocent Meddling**

Sakura was pacing. She couldn't understand why it was taking so long. Sauske-kun had been in the room with Nanami, Kimiko, and Setsuna for nearly an entire day. They should be finished by now. How long could it take to remove the curse seal? Naruto watched Sakura as she paced the area in front of the door. She was starting to make him dizzy. Kakashi just read his book as he waited. He had absolute confidence in the Tsukino clan's abilities.

The doors opened and Setsuna stepped out. He smiled to put everyone at ease. "It was successful. The curse seal has been removed." He turned to Kakashi, "Will you help Sasuke to his room? Both he and Nanami are about to lose consciences because of the effort. I'll help Nanami."

"Of course." The copy ninja stood and followed Setsuna into the room. When they came out, Sakura and Naruto rushed towards Kakashi. Sasuke was leaning against Kakashi and trying not to stumble. Naruto and Sakura followed the two down the hall.

"I'm glad that worked out," Nanami said as she leaned on her father. "I hope you don't mind but I think I'm going to pass out."

Setsuna nodded, "Things will be better now. For everyone."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How do you feel, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked up to see Sakura standing in the doorway. He pushed himself up from the bed. "I'm fine."

"That's good. You've bee out for nearly three days. Nanami still hasn't woken up." She tilted her head and curiosity shown in her green eyes. "Just what happened in that room?"

"It turned out that the curse seal was triggered by something Lady Kimiko called enzymes in the body. Those enzymes had to be removed in order to remove the seal. Setsuna made sure that the seal would be contained so that I would fight the process while Nanami began using her kekkei genkai to heal my body."

"What exactly is the Tsukino kekkei genkai? I don't think I was ever told."

"There are two parts that I know of. The first part is called Chiyubodi. Most of this part of their kekkei genkai is beyond their control. It will automatically heal any injury that they or one they love obtains. That's why they spend so much time on medical ninjutsu. If they don't learn how to control their healing powers then they would die from loss of chakra. Chiyubodi also allows them to heal almost anything, including the curse seal." Sasuke reached up and touched the spot on his left arm. Part of his skin was darker than the rest forming three connected circles. That would probably be there for the rest of his life even though Nanami had removed the seal itself. "The second part of the Tsukino blood trait is the seal that Nanami placed on me. It's called Ciyu Gokuin. It allowed Nanami to control my body without the use of a jutsu."

"Sounds simple enough."

"I don't think the kekkei genkai is that simple. Think about it. My own Sharingan is more complicated than just allowing me to see things other can't. It also allows me to control the nine tailed fox and then there's the Mangekyo Sharingan." Sasuke looked thoughtful for a moment as something occurred to him. "In fact, the more skilled a member of my clan was the stronger their Sharingan. The same is true of all kekkei genkai, I think. Including the Tsukino's. Nanami is one of the most skilled shinobi in her clan. Lady Kimiko once told me that Nanami's kekkei genkai is possibly even stronger than hers. That means there's nothing simple about Nanami's abilities."

"I guess you're right." Sakura frowned. "I'm worried though. She still hasn't woken up."

"She'll be fine. We're in a compound full of trained medics. If I was going to pick anywhere to be sick or hurt this would be it. It's better than being in a hospital."

Sakura chuckled, "I suppose you're right."

"Sakura, don't tell anyone about the Tsukino kekkei genkai. I got permission from Nanami to tell you but no one else. Their a very private clan and want to keep it that way." His eyes bore into her. "Just to give you a hint of what I mean. There are only three people outside of the Tsukino clan who know anything about their kekkei genkai. Kakashi, me, and Itachi."

Sakura nodded, "Don't worry. I won't tell, Sasuke-kun. I'm glad that you and Nanami both trust me enough to tell me." She frowned, "What if Itachi told?"

"I don't think he did."

The pink haired kunoichi blinked. She had never expected Sasuke to say anything good about his brother. "Why not?"

He frowned, "His actions around Nanami. I know there is doubt about who killed my clan but for this argument we'll say he did." At Sakura's nod, he continued, "Nanami lived with my clan so that she could train with Itachi. Did you notice that he waited until she wasn't at the compound before attacking the clan?"

"That could have been because she could stop him. Nanami can hold her own in a fight with him. She's proven that," Sakura argued.

"No. Nanami can hold her own in a fight but she can't beat him. Itachi is still stronger than she is. But that's not all. Every time that he's seen her since leaving he had an opportunity to kill her but didn't."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "I see what you mean now. Itachi is still loyal to Nanami even though he's a missing nin and she sees him as the enemy. But, Sasuke-kun, if he shows this much loyalty to a girl he was engaged to through a arranged marriage, why would he kill his family? Would someone that loyal to one girl kill his own clan?"

"I don't know, Sakura, but I intend to find out...somehow."

The door opened and Kakashi walked in. He smiled, "I'm glad to see you awake, Sasuke. Nanami just woke up. She wants to see you but her grandmother won't let her get up yet. I told her I'd come get you."

Sasuke nodded. The three of them made their way through the compound and into Nanami's room. Sasuke felt something in him shudder when he saw Nanami. It was slightly terrifying to see someone so strong look so...fragile. The normally strong and spirited woman looked tired. She was pale and gave a weak smile. Typical of her stubborn nature, she had forced herself into a sitting position despite Kimiko's objections.

"You look awful," Sasuke pointed out.

She gave him a fierce glare that did a lot to loosen the knot in his stomach. "Gee, thanks a bunch. You don't look so charming yourself right now."

He grinned, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but it was worth it if you're mark is gone."

"It's gone." To prove it he showed her his neck where the mark use to be. She saw only smooth pale skin where the mark use to be. "See."

"That's good, Sasuke." Nanami leaned back against the pillows with a relieved smile. "I think I need to sleep again."

She slept for the rest of the day. Everyone checked on her at least once but no one wanted to wake her. She still looked a little too pale for their comfort. The sun set and everyone made their way to bed. Nanami suddenly woke up but she didn't dare move. Something woke her and it was in the room with her. She listened carefully for anything out of the ordinary as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the light. Nanami heard the slight sound of someone breathing. She grabbed the kunai that she kept under her pillow and risked getting up.

"You're awake. That's good," came the smooth familiar voice. "It is nice to see you again, Nanami."

"What are you doing here, Kisame?" she demanded.

"I wanted to talk with you," he responded as he sat on a chair in the corner of her room. "About Itachi."

"What about him?"

"You heard what Orochimaru said before he died."

"Yes, but Itachi left before I could ask him about it." She glared, "That doesn't explain why you're here. If Itachi wouldn't answer questions he sure as hell wouldn't let you."

Kisame sat back with a grin. "He doesn't know I'm here. If he did he would probably be very unhappy with me."

"So why are you here?" She was really getting tired of repeating herself.

He suddenly turned serious and sat forward. "Itachi is not only my partner but my friend. He is preparing to die to protect Sasuke and I don't think I'm going to let him."

Her eyes narrowed, "You're going to tell me what happened seven years ago?"

"Unfortunately, no. I gave my word that I would never tell anyone and I can't break that." He saw the temper spark in Nanami's eyes. Before she could say anything he added, "I can tell you how to figure out the answers for yourself."

She shut her mouth and looked at him for a moment. "Alright. I'm listening."

Two days later she was standing in the clearing again. She listened to the waterfall as it fell into the crystal clear water. Kisame had given her all the information he could. Every action and word he made indicated that Itachi was as much a victim as Sasuke was. Now if only she could find the proof. There was a small sound behind her but she didn't turn.

"It's funny. Every time something goes wrong and I let myself wonder without a thought to where I'm going, this is where I end up."

"Is something bothering you?" Sasuke asked.

She told him about Kisame's visit two nights ago. He watched her carefully but saw no signs of the misery he expected. "You believe him." It was a statement not a questions.

Nanami answered anyway, "Yes. I do. He has no reason to lie to us."

"What was the proof he mentioned?"

"A journal. Your father was always worried about Itachi because he didn't tell anyone what he was really thinking. To reassure himself that his son had an outlet for all of his emotions, he forced Itachi to write in a journal. Kisame said that the last thing Itachi did before he left Konoha was hide the journal."

"Where? Does it even exsist?"

"I saw the journal once, so yes, it does exist. Even Kisame didn't know where Itachi hid it."

"Do you know where to look?"

She shook her head, "No. I don't." Nanami turned around and faced him. "Grandmother told me that you heard what I told her our first night here."

"I did but I wasn't going to say anything. Nanami, I don't blame you for how you feel. Part of me still cares about Itachi too. We both loved who he pretended to be. Or at least we thought he was pretending until Orochimaru had to muddle things up. Now I don't know who the real Itachi is. The one that I knew as a child or the one that we saw recently."

Nanami smiled, "I'm relieved. I was worried that you wouldn't forgive me for the weakness." She looked out at the forest, "Still. I'm not returning to Konoha with you."

"What?!"

"I need time. This is my home. Even though I've spent most of my time in Konoha, this is my home. I need to be here. My emotions are still in turmoil and I need to get them back under control. I also need to forgive myself for still caring about Itachi. Until I do, I'm useless to you and the others."

"Nanami..."

"Don't try and talk me out of it, Sasuke. We both know it won't work. I'm staying here." She smiled cheerfully, "Now let's go back to the compound. There is one thing I want to take care of before the rest of you return to the village."

"And what's that?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. She had that mischievous look in her eyes that told him she was up to something.

"Oh, nothing much. I just think it's time Naruto gets married. Don't you?" She began to grin. "But first he has to notice the right girl. He's so dense so I think I'll help him out a little."

Sasuke shook his head, "Can you ever let things be without meddling?"

She pretended to thing about it for a moment, "No. That wouldn't be any fun."

With another shake of his head, Sasuke followed her back to the Tsukino compound.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata wasn't sure what was happening. Nanami had wanted to talk to her so now the two of them were walking around the large compound. The air smelled of fresh flowers and forest. Outside the walls surrounding the main part of the compound was a thick forest filled with life and beauty. Inside the walls, laughter filled the air as the clan went about their day. The Tsukino clan obviously have very close ties to each other. That shouldn't have been a surprise. The three interconnected circles symbolized the clan for a reason. It represented their unity. Hinata was willing to bet that anyone who spent one day with this clan would wish to be a part of it.

"How much of this land belongs to your clan?" Hinata asked the older woman.

"I don't know really. I believe we own the entire forest. If not all of it then most of it."

"Really?"

Nanami nodded, "Once our clan lived in Konoha but my ancestors decided to move for some reason. I guess they wanted to be free of the village and its politics. In the nineteen years I've lived, no one has ever been allowed to build anything in this forest because of our clan. So I assume we own the land."

"And you'll inherit this one day?"

"I guess. The plan was originally that one of my children would. I suppose that plan will have to change now."

Hinata looked up at Nanami and saw a distant look in her storm cloud eyes. The older woman was obviously thinking about something that was very important to her. The silver eyed kunoichi said nothing as she waited for Nanami to return from where it was her mind had wondered to. When she did, Nanami smiled.

"So, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"It's about Naruto."

As expected, Hinata blushed a deep red. "What about him?"

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, you know," Nanami informed her with a knowing smile. "You love him."

Hinata turned even redder if that was possible but she didn't bother to deny it. "Yes, I am."

"Good. I just wanted to make sure."

The grin on Nanami's face made Hinata wonder what she had just agreed to. She didn't think about it too much because she had just realized what she had said. She loved him. Tears slipped down her face. Nanami looked over with concern, "What's wrong?"

"I love him but he'll never love me. He doesn't even see me as a girl...just a friend." Hinata looked over at Nanami, "I want to tell him but I'm afraid. Would you tell him?"

Nanami looked thoughtful, "I like to think I would. The worst he could say is no and you lose nothing."

"But my heart will be broken."

"That will eventually mend, Hinata. However, if he says yes than you'll gain something priceless. So the question I ask you is this. Is getting that yes worth risking a no?"

Hinata couldn't answer her. Nanami left her to think about her answer. She had to put the other half of her plan into motion anyway. She waited a few hours before looking for Naruto. When she found him, he was sitting on one of the veranda surrounding the main building of the compound. She sat next to him and just began talking to him about nothing in particular. Question eventually led to Naruto telling her about his first mission with team 7. She knew the story of course but it was interesting to hear it from his point of view. They saw Hinata walk by and Naruto waved with a loud hello. Hinata suddenly resembled a tomato. With a quick wave, she rushed off.

Naruto glanced over at Nanami and saw the look on her face. Curiosity had him asking, "What is it, Nanami? You look like the cat that ate the canary."

"Oh, nothing," Nanami said as innocently as possible. "I just realized that Hinata is in love with someone."

"Who?" he asked curiously and with some irritation.

"I don't know but a girl always recognized the signs. She's definitely in love with someone."

A few more days passed and Naruto seemed to be getting more and more irritated with each day. He was training with Sasuke when he exploded. "Who is he, damn it?"

"Who is who?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"The man Hinata is in love with. I can't figure out who he is. Nanami said she didn't know but I don't believe her. She tells you everything so tell me. Who is he?" Naruto wasn't sure what was wrong with him. All he knew was that every time he thought about Hinata with another man he got the urge to hit someone, and if he had it way it would be the guy she was in love with. That definitely confused him. He would admit that he was a bit rash and emotional but this was ridiculous even for him.

Sasuke gave Naruto a speculative look, "Why does it matter, Naruto? It shouldn't make any difference unless you're in love with her."

The blond opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. Instead his eyes widened and he rushed off somewhere without saying a word. Sasuke smirked. It was just like Naruto to have the truth pointed out to him before he realized it. Well, Nanami had her way. It looked like Naruto and Hinata would be dating before they left in two days.

Meanwhile, Naruto searched the entire compound for Hinata. When he found her she was training by the pool with a beautiful waterfall. She was training in the water and Naruto found himself hypnotized by her. He couldn't believe he didn't notice his feelings sooner. They were obvious after all. He had developed a soft spot for Hinata since he watched her fight with Neji. The girl had proven then that she could stand when she needed to and some part of him respected that strength. Respect had turned into friendship and the friendship had turned into something stronger. Why had he just noticed it? When she was in love with someone else? His eyes narrowed. No way was he going to just let her go. It wasn't in his nature to just give up.

"Hinata," he called.

She turned to face him still standing on the water. When she saw him, she smiled. "Hello, Naruto-kun." Hinata noticed his frown and her smile faded. "What's wrong?"

Naruto wasn't good at being subtle so he didn't try. Instead he got right to the point. "Who is he?"

"Who?"

'Okay, so maybe that was too much to the point,' he thought. He got more detailed the second time he asked the question. "The guy you're in love with. Who is he?"

Hinata blushed. "What makes you think..."

"Nanami said that you were in love with someone. I want to know who he is. She won't tell me."

"Oh, well you see..." she started but didn't get the chance to finish.

Naruto meant to stop talking then and let her answer but he couldn't. The words just kept spilling out of him and he didn't bother trying to stop them now. "I just want you to know that he won't be good enough. He can't be because someone will always love you more than him."

"Naruto..."

But he wasn't finished talking yet. "That's a promise. I should know because I know who will always love you more."

"Naruto-kun..."

He walked forward until he was only a foot or two away from her, "Who is he."

Hinata argued with herself about answering or not. What if he said no? On the other hand, what if he said yes? Could she take that risk? No, she couldn't risk losing the friendship she had developed with him. That was very important to her. She opened her mouth for the lie then remembered her conversation with Nanami earlier. The older woman's words ran through her head. _'So the question I ask you is this. Is getting that yes worth risking a no?'_ Hinata looked at Naruto.

"Nanami's right. I do love someone." She saw the sad look come into Naruto's eyes and said quickly, "It's you."

His eyes widened and then his large goofy grin spread onto his face, "That's great. That means I was worrying for nothing." A sheepish look came into his eyes, "I was very worried when I heard that you might be in love with someone else."

"I could never love anyone else, Naruto-kun."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

In the shadows someone watched. The silver lock of hair on her brow glowed in the moonlight. She was smiling with some relief. Nanami left the two lovers and returned to her compound. Now all that was left was too see her four friends happily married. A determined look came into her eyes. None of them would ever have to suffer like she did after Itachi had left. She would see to that.

* * *

That's it. I thought it was a cute and amusing chapter. Anyways, let me know what you think.


	15. Memories

I'm so happy. I might actually finish this story by the end of the week...probably not...but it is possible at this point. Anyway, this chapter is very similar to the chapter from the original. I thought it was an important chapter so I just changed a few things and put it in here. It might not be that important but oh well. Just so you know Itachi is 8 yrs old in the memory. Nanami is a year younger than him but his birthday comes first so theres a few months where they are two years apart in age. I had someone ask me about that when they edited the chapter so I figured I'd clarify now. Enjoy

Disclaimer: see other chapters please

* * *

**Ch. 15: Memories**

Nanami waved goodbye with her clan as the five Konoha shinobi left to return home. She had asked Kakahsi to tell Tsunade that she wouldn't be returning to Konoha except to attend Sakura's and Hinata's wedding...well, as soon as their men asked them to marry them of course. Nanami was confident that that would happen soon enough though. She turned and saw her grandmother watching her.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were sure about your decision." Kimiko knew Nanami was sure. She also knew that it was the right choice. Nanami needed time to sort herself out. What she wasn't sure about was if Nanami was sure that she had made the right choice.

"Yes. I'm no good to anyone right now. I need to decide what I'm going to do now." Nanami gave a small smile, "Besides, I have to find that journal. It can't be hidden at the Uchiha compound. That place was throughly searched after the massacre. The only other place I can come up with for him to hide it is here."

"You're probably right," Kimiko replied. "You knew Itachi best."

"Maybe," she didn't sound convinced. "I think I'll do some more studying too. I've almost caught up."

Kimiko grinned, "Good. Now I have some books that you need to read. They're part of your medical studies." The old woman handed Nanami a back with six books inside. "Now go catch up on your reading."

"Alright, grandmother." Nanami spent the rest of the day studying. She really was behind on her studies but during the last few days at the compound she had almost caught up. These were the last three books. She was halfway through the second one when the letters started to blur and she was forced to close it. Nanami let out a sigh and rubbed her tired eyes. She glanced over when the door opened and smiled at her mother.

Ayame Tsukino and Nanami looked remarkably similar in appearances and personality. There were only two differences in their appearance. Nanami's eyes were the color of storm clouds, but Ayame's were so blue they could have been purple. The second difference was the hair. Nanami had one lock of silver hair that fell down the left side of her face. Her mother's hair was solid black. "Dear, you've been reading all day. Maybe you should take a brake."

"Maybe you're right. My eyes were starting to hurt anyway."

"Why don't you go for a walk?" Ayame suggested. "That always makes you feel better."

"I think I will. Thanks, mom." Nanami left the main part of the compound and walked into the forest. She allowed herself to quit thinking and to just walk without any destination in mind. She knew where she would end up so she wasn't surprised to find herself in her favorite clearing. It was beautiful. There was a crystal clear pool of water with a waterfall pouring more water into it. The area was surrounded by trees and there was a large number of fireflies dancing around. All of this with the night sky filled with stars and the full moon above made it the most beautiful spot she had seen in awhile. "I've missed this place," she whispered to herself. Now that she was here, she couldn't understand why she had avoided it these last seven years. It was her special place after all. This was where she had first met Itachi when they were children.

_///Flashback///_

_She was walking through the forest surrounding the compound. Her parents didn't know she was gone of course. If they had known they would have stopped her. To the six year old logic they were just being paranoid. So Nanami had taken the opportunity to sneak out. All the adults were busy welcoming their guests from the Uchiha clan in Konoha. She had wanted to meet them too but they didn't arrive until after her bed time. Her father had promised she could meet them in the morning. It wasn't until a few minutes after her father left her room that she came up with the plan to sneak out._

_Nananmi explored the area with interest. __She had always wanted to leave the compound and walk in the forest that surrounded their compound. They were always so full of life and she wanted to look to see what was in there. Now she was out there and everything was so new and wonderful. Her head moved this way and that trying to see everything at once. She laughed at animals as they played like a couple of children her own age. _

_Nanami had just found a small stream when she heard something behind her. She spun around and saw a man walk out of the shadows. In the dark the man looked like a monster to the six year old girl. The little girl knew he was a ninja but not one of the ones from Konoha. Her father had explained the headband that the man wore on his forehead. Nanami didn't recognize the symbol on the man's headband but she knew it wasn't from the Leaf Village._

"_Hello, little girl," he said in a terrifying tone. "You're from the Tsukino clan. That's good. I was sent on a mission to take on of you and what luck. You fall right into my lap."_

_The little girl started to back away from him. He couldn't have that so he moved forward, but just when she was within reach she turned and ran. Nanami didn't know where she was going and she didn't care. All that mattered was getting away from the man. She burst out of the forest and into a clearing with a waterfall. A brief look back had her tripping. She tried to get up but she wasn't fast enough. The man caught up to her and lifted her up by the collar of her shirt._

"_Finally, I caught you."_

"_Daddy!" She wiggled and fought but he just wouldn't let her go._

"_No one's here but me, little girl. Now we're going to go to my home village. We want to know about your clan's kekkei genkai."_

"_Put her down," a new male voice came from the edge of the clearing. Both Nanami and the man looked over to see a boy just a little older than Nanami. He had dark hair and work the leaf village head band on his forehead. What caught Nanami's attention was his eyes. Instead of normal colored eyes, his were a deep red._

_The man holding her laughed, "And who's going to make me? You? You're just a kid. Go play somewhere else brat."_

_The boy didn't speak again. Instead he seemed to vanish. The next thing Nanami knew the boy was punching the man in the face with enough force to send the shinobi flying. The man jumped up and ran towards the boy. That kid would pay for hitting him. The boy merely jumped up and kicked the man in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. The boy then turned to the young girl that was sitting in the middle of the clearing. She looked at him with wary gray eyes._

_He calmly walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "Are you alright?"_

_She nodded. Her voice shook when she asked, "Who are you?"_

"_My name is Itachi Uchiha."_

_The girl relaxed instantly and smiled, "You're papa's friend. He said that someone named Uchiha was coming to our compound today. I'm Nanami Tsukino."_

_///End Flashback///_

Namami smiled as she remembered the rest of the night was uneventful because Itachi had helped her sneak back into the compound. Neither of them ever told her parents about what happened that night. Since that day she had glued herself to him every time he and his parents came to visit her clan. What had happened to them? She often wondered that. They had been as thick as thieves. At first Itachi seemed to merely tolerate her presence, but he eventually came to like the little girl that followed him around. He had told her so himself when he found her crying because someone had told her that Itachi would never be her friend. How had they lost that friendship? How had such a sweet little boy grow up to kill his clan?

They had been so happy. She remembered that. That same year, after she had turned seven, her family decided to enroll her into the Konoha Academy with Itachi. Fugaku had volunteered to let her stay with his clan. Itachi had become her training partner and their bond only became stronger. When they were alone, Itachi would even smile sometimes. He would talk to her about the things that mattered to him. His younger brother, Sasuke, was showing a great deal of promise and was training hard. Life was good but all good things had to end.

It started with the death of Shisui. At first everyone believed it was a suicide, but the other Uchiha clan members hadn't believed it. They accused Itachi of killing him. He denied it of course but no one had listened to him. Nanami had believed him but something had been bothering him that day. She hadn't pushed the issue then because he had been in so much pain. There was no way she could bring herself to question him about it. Perhaps if she had things would have been different.

Then the worst day of her life came. The entire Uchiha clan had been slaughtered and they were telling her clan that it had been Itachi. She hadn't wanted to believe it. How could she? The man she loved wouldn't do that. He wouldn't have killed his clan. Itachi hated to fight. He was such a sweet man when no one else was around. How could she believe that he would kill his clan?

_///Flashback///_

"_There's no mistake?" Setsuna demanded._

"_We're sorry Lord Tsukino. But Itachi Uchiha was the one to murder his clan," one of the police officers informed her father. "There was a witness. Sasuke Uchiha is the only one left alive and he said that his brother confessed."_

"_NO!! It can't be true. You're lying. He wouldn't have done that. Itachi wouldn't have killed his clan," Nanami had shouted and cried. She shook her head at the police officers, who just gave her a sympathetic look. She didn't want their sympathy. She wanted them to tell her they were lying._

_Her mother wrapped her arms around her as if to shield her. Nanami couldn't seem to stop crying. Her clan stood around her in silent support. They all knew how she had felt for Itachi and they knew she would never be the same again._

_///End Flashback///_

She hadn't been the same since. A part of her had died that night. The naïve innocent part that had believed in fairy tales and miracles. She had also been left with a shattered heart that could never be repaired. Nanami had taken everything that reminded her of Itachi and either burned it or hid it from sight. She never wanted to see any of it ever again. That included and necklace that Itachi had given her. In fact, she had hid it in this clearing because she never intended to come back. Nanami glanced over to the three she had placed the necklace in. There was a hole it that an animal of some kind use to live in. Now it was just and empty spot in the tree.

Nanami walked over to the tree and reached into the hole. She felt the necklace and something else. Her eyes narrowed. She didn't remember putting anything else inside. Curiosity had her pulling out the object with the necklace. She looked at the pendant that hung from a silver chain. It was the red and white fan of the Uchiha clan. Her fingers brushed the back of it as she felt the engraved words.

She turned her attention to the book in her hands. It was simple with a black, worn cover. It had obviously been in there for quite sometime. She opened it to the first page with some curiosity. Only she and Itachi knew about this spot until recently. So who could have put the book there. Her eyes widened as she read the same words that were engraved on the back of the necklace.

**Property of Itachi Uchiha**

**

* * *

**Yes I know. It's shorter than my last few chapters but the next chapter couldn't be blended into this one very well so I'll just keep "Ch. 15: Memories" and "Ch. 16: Little Black Book" separate chapter. Please review.


	16. Little Black Book

I am so proud of myself. I've managed to finish two chapters in one day. That doesn't happen very often. Again, this chapter is similar to a chapter in the original story but it was too important to leave out. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: see other chapters

* * *

**Ch. 16: Little Black Book**

Nanami stared at the book in absolute disbelief. It couldn't be that easy. No way in hell would she find the book without even trying. Yet there it was, in her hands. The old black book that Kisame said Itachi had used his last night in Konoha. This would contain his every thought. She almost stood to go find Sasuke and tell him about the book but changed her mind. She wanted to know what it said first. Sasuke could wait until she was finished.

She sat down against a tree but didn't open the book. It was stupid to be so nervous about what she would read on these pages. The worst that could happen would be she would find out that Itachi did kill his clan. She had suspected that for the last seven years so what was so different today. It was that hope that Orochimaru and Kisame had brought out in her. The risk that reading this book to destroy all her hopes was almost too much. Nanami drew in a deep breath and forced herself to open the book to the first page.

_June 9__th_

_It's my seventh birthday. Dad gave me this and told me to write in it and no I don't have a choice. I don't really see the point in it. It won't make me any stronger will it? When I asked Dad he said it would help me "express myself". What would I need to do that for? I don't have anything to express anyway. Another thing. It's a diary. Boys don't keep diaries, girls do. I know he called it a journal but it's the same thing as a diary. It's kind of embarrassing. What am I suppose to tell others about this? Oh, it's just a journal that my dad is making me keep. That just sounds stupid. I'll just keep it a secret. It'd be better if I didn't have to keep it at all. Oh well, what dad says goes so I'll write in the stupid thing._

_Itachi Uchiha_

Nanami leaned her head back with a small smile. She could just see the annoyance on Itachi's small face when his father told him to write in the book. It would be just like him to do what he was told even though he didn't like it. When he was younger he had been a stickler for rules. That changed a little as he got older. He learned to pick locks to satisfy his curiosity and started to break rules when it suited him. There had always been a code of honor at his core that he never broke though no matter the circumstances. At least, she thought there had been until the day of the Uchiha massacre.

She glanced down at the book again and continued reading about a boy who's mind was a more complex than most adults. He wrote about everyday things and his thoughts. She read about the first time he used his Sharingan and how he mastered it. She was surprised to find that this was the boy she thought she knew. If someone had asked her about Itachi before he killed his clan, this would have been how she described him. She paused at the entry he made the day they had first met. It had been a little over a year since the first entry after he had turned eight.

_July 12__th_

_We left Konoha this morning to go visit an old friend of my father's, Setsuna Tsukino. Dad said that Setsuna had been on his genin team when they were children. They had been friends since. Now is the first time I'll get to meet him because his clan's compound his not in the village. In fact, it's at the base of a mountain a day away from the village. When we arrived it was late at night. Lord Setsuna saw to it that we were fed and showed us to our rooms personally. I liked him. He was a calm man that never let anything ruffle him very much. But something much more interesting than meeting him happened. I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk in the woods surrounding the Tsukino compound. I heard some one scream so I went to check it out and saw a man holding a girl younger than me. I saved the girl and she smiled at me. I'm still surprised by that. No one has ever smiled at me like that, except for my mother. Her name is Nanami Tsukino and she's Setsuna's daughter. Yet another surprise I guess. I didn't even know he had a daughter until then. What surprised me most though was my own thoughts. I found myself thinking that she was...adorable. Can you believe that? Me, Itachi, thought that someone was adorable. I wonder if I'm sick. Maybe I'm just tired. I better get some sleep._

_Itachi Uchiha_

Nanami blinked. She hadn't known that he had thought any of that. When she started following he around, he seemed indifferent to her. As she read the next entry she realized that he had only been pretending not to care. Every entry after that had some comment about her in it and none of them were bad. Itachi seemed baffled by her. As if she were a puzzle that he couldn't quite figure out. The bafflement seemed to only increase after she moved in with his clan a few months later and started to attend the academy. He commented on her temper, skills, and anything else that he could think of. Itachi seemed to view her as the only person he could really talk to because she would listen to him. She also didn't treat him like he was some sort of prodigy. He was but that didn't mean he liked to be treated like one. He was still a kid and when he was with Nanami he was allowed to be just a normal kid. The years rolled by in Itachi's journal and she read every single entry with fascination. She was learning things about Itachi that she had only guessed about until this point. Then she got to the entry where he discovered her feelings for him and couldn't help but pay more attention to it.

_December 25__th_

_Today is Nanami's twelfth birthday. We went to her clan's compound to celebrate it with her clan. Everyone was having a great time but I was nervous. I was going to give her a necklace with my clan's symbol for the pendant. On the back of the pendant was an engraving that said "Property of Itachi Uchiha". It's a gift usually given by the men in my clan to their finances and Nanami is mine. It seemed only right to give her one. The thing was, I didn't know how she felt about the whole thing. She never mentioned the engagement. What if she hated it? Well, turns out I worried for nothing. I wanted to give her the necklace in private (that way she could reject it without an audience if she wanted to). I went to the clearing where we always spent time together. She wasn't there yet but she said she would meet me there later. I started to train a little to pass the time but I noticed a letter with my name on it. Curiosity got the better of me and I read it. It was from Nanami and it was basically a confession. She loves me. Can you believe that? I was at first but, now that I know, I can't believe I didn't know sooner. All the signs were staring me right in the face and I still didn't notice them. Anyway, she caught me reading the letter and panicked. I was relieved so I quickly put her at ease. Needless to say, she was very happy with her presents...no I won't tell you want the second one was._

_Itachi_

She was chuckling a little. How could she ever forget that day? It had been mortifying to find Itachi with that letter. Her feelings for Itachi had been threatening to boil over, so she had written them down hoping the paper would provide a good outlet. She had forgotten the letter at the clearing when she left and Itachi had found it. He had been surprised and...smug. She remembered the smirk on his face has he walked towards her. Her reaction had been to back up until her back was pressed against a tree. He had just continued to smirk until... Even now, seven years later, she was blushing. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Damn it, it shouldn't still make her blush. All he did was kiss her. There was nothing embarrassing about it. Though at the time it had turned her into a human tomato. That had made Itachi chuckle as he gave her the necklace. She was willing to bet that the kiss was the second present he was talking about. It would be just like him.

Nanami continued reading about the mundane things in Itachi's life, and realized that she was still reading about the man she believed Itachi was. Why in the world did he kill his clan? There was no dramatic change in his personality. But that couldn't be right. The Itachi she had known wouldn't have killed his clan. There was only a few months left until the massacre of his clan. Something had to happen and it had to be something big. Where was it? Nanami forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out. She would get nowhere by rushing. So she turned the page and began the next entry. It took place on New Years. She got to the end of the entry and read it again...then again. Nanami read it at least five times before she could even make her mind comprehend what it said.

_January 1__st_

_We went to the Tsukino compound for New Years. It was fun. Everyone was laughing and dancing. It was the first time that both of our entire clans were together. That was the only first. I saw Nanami walk into the room and I found myself just staring at her. She was wearing a dress. I'd never seen her in a dress before. She was...beautiful. I never thought of it before but Nanami is a very beautiful girl. She saw me and made her way over to me. I was surprised when she stayed by my side through the entire party. She's normally a very sociable girl and loves to talk to everyone so that's what I expected her to do. Talk to everyone. She did but she dragged me with her. I even found myself dancing with her a few times. When I asked her why she stayed with me she just shrugged and said, "Because I wanted to." I shouldn't have been surprised but I was. I also realized something else. I don't know when or how it happened and I don't think it matters. What I do know is that I would give almost anything to make her smile. There are a lot of other things too but I won't go into them. In case you haven't notice I don't talk about my feelings much. I do have to say this just once though. If only to see the word and make me believe that it's possible. I'm still surprised by my own emotions. I, Itachi Uchiha, have fallen in love with Nanami._

_Itachi_

Now she was just staring blankly at the page. This had to be some cruel joke. There was no way this was true. He couldn't love her. If he loved her they why? Why did he tear her apart? It didn't make any sense. She couldn't wait anymore. Nanami skipped several months worth of entries so she could read the one that mattered. She started reading on the day Shisui died.

_March 1__st_

_Shisui was killed today. I know they said it was suicide but I know better. It's my fault. I should have been stronger and then he might still be alive. He was angry because I didn't join Him. He warned me that if I didn't join His then He would take everything that mattered to me. Now I know what He meant. Nanami knows that something is bothering me but I can't tell her. If He finds out just how important to me she is He'll kill her too. I can't risk that. Then there's Sasuke. I can't let Him hurt Sasuke. I'm his older brother. It's my job to protect him. He won't touch my little brother. I'll kill Him before they can touch Sasuke._

_Itachi_

"Damn you, Itachi. Who is 'Him'? Why couldn't you tell me? I could have protected myself you know," she yelled at the page. Nanami let out a growl of frustration as she read the next few entries. Itachi never named 'Him' although he seemed very concerned for Sasuke's safety. Then came the very last entry. She read it carefully and, despite the contents, felt the knot in her stomach loosen.

_March 20__th_

_This is the last time I'll ever write in this thing. I'm leaving Konoha for good. I don't even know why I'm bothering to write in this book tonight. I guess it's just a last thing I can do for my father. He was always so insistent that I keep this thing. If I don't join Madara Uchiha, He'll kill Sasuke just like He did Shisui and the rest of my clan. That's right my clan has been slaughtered. I didn't get there in time to save them but I made a deal with Madara. If I joined Him, He had to leave Sasuke and Nanami alone. Sasuke could never be told the truth and I could never leave Madara's team. He agreed to the deal. That's when I noticed that Sasuke was coming into the room. I knew I had to do something. He couldn't know the truth so I lied to him. I let him believe that I did it. Now the deal is sealed. There's no going back. I can just pray that Sasuke will get strong enough to avenge our clan against the Akatsuki even though that will mean he has to kill me too. He will be safe and that's what matters. I only have one regret. Nanami won't be able to know the truth either. I will have to leave her without saying good bye. I'm sorry for that. I had hoped that...no...I can't think about what could have been. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. It will never be now. She will probably never forgive me for the crime everyone will believe I committed. I know I will never forgive myself. If I had done something sooner my clan would still be alive. It's my fault they're dead. I wish I could have told her. So in a way, I didn't lie to Sasuke. I did kill my clan even if I wasn't the one that pushed the kunai into their hearts._

_Good bye_

"You little fool," she whispered. "Why, Itachi? You could have told me. Then I wouldn't have wasted all these years hating myself for loving you. I wouldn't have had to lie to myself or my friends. Then on day, when he was strong enough, I could have told Sasuke. Then you could have come home. If only you had trusted me to take care of myself instead of trying to do it all yourself." She punched the ground with all the strength she had while she shouted, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later, she walked back to her compound. She had let herself cry over wasted time and then pulled herself back together. Nanami knew what she needed to do. First she had to get some sleep and tomorrow she would go to Konoha to see Sasuke. She settled down to sleep and first thing in the morning she packed. When she told her grandmother and father where she was going they nodded.

"Are you going to be alright?" her father asked her.

"Yes. Actually, I feel better today than I have in years." Nanami gave a small smile, "According to this, he's not the enemy."

"Do you believe it?" Kimiko asked curiously.

Nanami nodded, "I think so. It's...It makes more sense than him suddenly developing the urge to kill his clan without anyone knowing it. But I'm still not sure"

She waved and rushed off to Konoha. For perhaps the first time she didn't walk. Instead she ran as fast as she could with chakra charged feet. Nanmi didn't waste time with the road but took the straight path whether there was a road there or not. It still took her several hours to reach the Uchiha compound. Sasuke and Sakura came out to greet her. When they saw the look on her face, concerned looks came into their eyes.

"What is is?" Sakura asked.

"First, let's go inside and sit. I'm exhausted. I ran all the way from my compound."

The three of them went inside and sat around the kitchen table. Nanami turned to the two across from her and drew in a deep breath. "I found it."

Sakura looked confused but Sasuke's eyes sharpened. There was only one thing Nanami could have found that would bring here all the way to Konoha. "Are you sure?" he demanded.

Nanami nodded, "Yes."

"Did you read it?"

"Most of it. I got impatient through the last few entries and skipped some of them."

"What are you two talking about?" Sakura asked.

"I've found Itachi's journal," Nanami answered. She pulled out the little black book. The black cover had faded and had frayed edges. It looked deceptively innocent considering it had the power to destroy their lives.

Sasuke took the book with surprisingly steady hands and glanced at Nanami. He hoped for some sort of hint of what he would find inside. She merely nodded and sat back. He opened the book and began to read. When he reached the last page, Sasuke looked up at Nanami with troubled eyes. "Do you think this is true?"

She shrugged, "There no reason for it not to be. It's obviously old so there's no way he just recently wrote that. It also makes sense."

"What does it say?" Sakura demanded.

Sasuke just handed to her and let her read the last few pages. Sakura smiled, "This means he's innocent, doesn't it? This is good news."

"Yes, that's what it looks like," Nanami replied. "We just have to prove it."

"This is proof," Sakura stated.

"Tsunade will ask for a confession. She'll want Itachi to say that this is the truth but he won't. He won't risk Sasuke's life like that. Not for anyone," Nanami informed her friend. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Sakura looked at her two friends and felt her determination rise. "We can't just give up. Let's go tell Lady Tsunade. I know she'll listen and maybe she'll let us go find Itachi. Then we can change his mind."

Nanami glanced up at Sakura and smiled, "You know. You're right. A few days ago, I would have said that it was impossible that Itachi was innocent. That obviously wasn't true. So who's to say it's impossible to change his mind."

"Let's bring Naruto and Kakashi with us," Sakura suggested.

An hour later the entire group met in the hokage's office and waited while Tsunade read the journal. Tsunade looked up at them. "This changes a few things. If you can get him to admit this is the truth than I will take his word for it. I'll pardon him from all crimes and he'll be allowed to return to Konoha."

They all smiled at the hokage with relief.

"Now, you will all be a team. Nanami and Kakashi will share leadership. Your job will be to hunt Itachi down and bring him back. Can you handle that?"

Sasuke and Sakura nodded quickly enough. Nanami glanced away. She didn't know if she could. Her emotions were still in turmoil and the journal didn't help. It was the reason she had originally chosen not to return to Konoha. She had needed time to get herself back under control. Sakura and Sasuke looked at her with concern.

"Nanami?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know." She tried to find the words to describe what was going on in her head. "I'm still afraid to believe it. I stopped believing in fairytale endings a long time ago. This is starting to look suspiciously like one. And besides that, none of this feels real. I keep expecting to wake up and it all be a dream. I'll wake up at any moment and Itachi will still be the enemy and there was never any reason to think differently."

"This is real, Nanami. We've all read the journal," Sasuke pointed out.

"I know...it's just. It can't be this easy, Sasuke."

"It won't be," Kakashi replied. "Think about it. Itachi left for a reason. To protect Sasuke. Even now he's sacrificing everything to keep Sasuke safe. If we want to bring him back Sasuke will have to fight him and win. Sasuke will have to prove to Itachi that he doesn't need his protection anymore."

"Not necessarily," Sakura disagreed. "All we have to prove is that Sasuke doesn't need his protection. That doesn't mean that Sasuke has to do it alone. We can show Itachi that Sasuke won't fight Madara alone. Sasuke has us to back him up. With friends as strong as Kakashi and Nanami, Sasuke doesn't really have anything to worry about."

Sasuke nodded. She was right. He would never have to fight alone. Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Nanami were always there to fight with him and always had been. He would never admit it, but it was relief to know that his friends always had his back. No matter what happened they were always there for him with a smile and open arms. There was a time he almost forgot that and abandoned it. It had taken Nanami using the Ciyu Gokuin seal to bring him back to his senses.

Nanami still didn't look convinced. Sakura eyed her friend, "You don't have to fight alone either, Nanami. You have us. We can help you just like you're always doing for us." At Nanami's surprised look, Sakura smiled. "Don't think we didn't notice. You've always gone out of your way to make sure that we never suffered like you did. You even risked your life to keep Sasuke from leaving. Nanami, you always help and protect us. I always know that if you're there everything will be okay because you make it okay. Now it's our turn to do the same for you. Sasuke isn't the only one that doesn't have to fight alone anymore."

Nanami smiled, "You're right, Sakura. Let's go get Itachi."

* * *

That's it for now. Please review.


	17. Kakuzu and Hidan

Alright, here's the next chapter. I think the fight scene in this version is better than the original but that could just be me. Again I do want to remind you that I suck at fights. I can't write them very well which is sad considering that there are alot of them in this story. Also, I haven't watched any of the shippuden episodes since they saved Gaara so I know little to nothing about Hidan and Kakuzu (the akatsuki in this chapter). If I mess up either their personality or their fighting style I'll apologize now.

Disclaimer: just look at the other chapters. I've already said that I don't own anything.

* * *

**Ch. 17: Kakuzu and Hidan  
**

They set out first thing in the morning. Nanami had decided to take Hinata with them. Her byakugan would be an excellent tool for finding Itachi. As they walked out of the village gates Naruto stretched and placed his hands behind his head. "Where to first?" He asked.

"To my clan's compound," Nanami replied. "They'll want to hear Lady Tsunade's decision. Then we're going to make you a target they can't resist."

"I'm still not sure how I feel about being bait," Naruto grumbled.

"Do you have a better idea?" Sakura asked him.

"Not really."

"Just don't let them catch you, dobe," Sasuke ordered him with barely any emotion.

Naruto grinned. That was Sasuke's way of saying he cared. The younger Uchiha still didn't express his emotions for anyone except Sakura. Everyone else just had to be able to read him well enough to translate what he said. This wasn't a problem for Naruto since they had been friends for four years now. Reading Sasuke was rarely a problem for him anymore. "They won't catch me, believe it!"

The group arrived at the Tsukino compound at sundown. Kimiko and Nanami's parents were there to greet them. The old woman looked at her granddaughter, "Well? What did the hokage decide?"

"We're going to find Itachi and bring him home," Nanami replied.

The group was shown to rooms where they could stay for the night. Nanami couldn't sleep so she jumped onto the roof and stared up at the sky. A sound behind her had her glancing back at her grandmother. She smiled, "Hello, grandmother."

"Are the stars solving your problems for you?"

Nanami sighed, "No, they aren't."

"So tell me what's bothering you?" Instead of responding, she pulled out the journal and handed it to the old woman. Kimiko read it silently then looked at Nanami. "I don't see the problem."

"That's part of the problem. I don't know what's wrong with me. I should be thrilled but...all I can think about is whether or not he still loves me." Nanami's voice took on a nervous tone as she continued speaking. "What if he doesn't, grandmother? What if we can't convince him to come home? What if...?"

Kimiko hit her granddaughter on the side of the head.

Nanami rubbed the spot and glared, "What was that for?"

"Because you're feeling sorry for yourself and you need to stop. There are always going to be 'what if's', Nanami. You could 'what if' yourself to death and still wouldn't get anywhere. Don't let them disturb your resolve. If you do you've already lost. You've made a decision now stick to it."

"But..."

"No but's. Nanami, just find Itachi and ask him how he feels. The worst he could say is no. If he does then you cry a little and move on."

Nanami shook her head, "The thing is I don't think I could move on."

"Then the question I have for you is this. Is getting that yes worth risking the no?"

Nanami couldn't help but smile. That was the very thing she had asked Hinata several days ago. That same day, Hinata had asked if Nanami would take the risk of telling someone she loved them. At the time Nanami believed she would. Now she wasn't so sure. An image of Itachi flashed in her mind and she knew what her answer would be. Nanami stood and walked towards the edge of the roof.

"I'm going to get some sleep. We have along journey ahead of us."

"Good night, dear," Kimiko said. She smiled when her granddaughter jumped down. Things would be made right soon and then everyone would be happy. Nanami wasn't the only one that knew how to meddle. The old woman when to her study and looked at the picture of her late husband. "You would be so proud of the woman our granddaughter has become. Just like I am. Please watch over her and make sure her story ends happily."

Then next morning they all headed out. The plan was to make sure everyone was aware that Naruto was no longer inside the protection of Konoha. The Akatsuki would never give up a chance like this to attack. Not when they had worked so hard to gather all the tailed beasts. Two weeks passed without any incidents and they began to wonder what to do next. The group was gathered around a fire one night discussing plans and ideas when they suddenly jumped back. A hand came out of nowhere and hit the area where they had been sitting. Kakashi and Nanami stood with their backs to each other, while Sasuke and Naruto stood guard over Sakura and Hinata.

"That wasn't Itachi or Kisame," Nanami commented as she looked for their enenmy.

"That would be correct," a man replied. Two people walked out of the forest wearing the Akatsuki cloaks. One wore a black mask and a white hood so that only his green eyes showed. On his forehead protector sewn onto the hood was the symbol for the Takigakure. She turned her attention to the other man. His white hair was slicked back from his face and he gazed at the group with deep purple eyes. He carried a scythe with three red blades. Around his neck was the headband for Yugakure and a necklace that Nanami found herself staring at in horror.

"So may we know who our enemy is?" Nanami asked sweetly even though her eyes held nothing but contempt for the two men.

The masked man answered, "I'm Kakuzu. This is my partner Hidan."

"And why are you here?"

"To take the fox of course. We were passing by and happened to notice him. Like we would let this opportunity pass." Kakuzu looked at Kakashi, "And there is a very large bounty for that man."

Nanami looked at the two Akatsuki members then spoke to Kakashi, "I'll handle the grim reaper over there. The rest of you take care of mask man."

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

"Alright. You heard her team."

Kakuzu chuckled, "Five on one. That's not very good odds for you."

"They'll be more than enough," Naruto snapped. They took a fighting stance and at some invisible signal the fight started. Kakuzu proved to be a powerful opponent. He used his ability to take his body apart and use it as long range weapons. Without speaking of the plan, Naruto and Sasuke got to work. Sasuke distracted the enemy while Naruto prepared. The next thing Kakuzu knew he was being blasted with Naruto's Rasengan. There was a huge blast. When the dust settled, the leaf shinobi stared in disbelief at Kakuzu.

The masked man laughed, "Did you think it would be that easy? Try to kill me if you wish but it won't work. I have lifetimes of battle experience and another ace up my sleeve. I promise you won't win."

"Then you don't mind if we try," Kakashi stated as he lifted the corner of his headband revealing his Sharingan. Their battle continued as Kakashi tried to figure out how that man was still alive. A direct hit from the Rasengan should have killed him or at least incapacitated him. Something wasn't right.

Meanwhile, Nanami was facing off with Hidan. The white haired man tilted his head with some curiosity. "Why did you wish to face me alone? You don't seem to be the type to underestimate an opponent."

"I'm not." She looked down at his necklace, "That give you away. I've studied Jashin once. That's the symbol for that particular religion."

"Oh, so you know about it. What a surprise. There aren't many who recognize it."

"Some aspects of the Jashin fell into my interests. Needless to say I don't practice it since the rest of it goes against what I believe in."

"That's a shame." He allowed his gaze to travel over her. She was barely five feet tall with body most women would kill for. Her gray eyes weren't only the same color of storm clouds but held the same strength that storms often had. She had long black hair except for the single silver lock of hair. "Because of my religion I'm immortal so you can't beat me. Maybe you should convert and then we could share immortality."

"Sorry but I'm taken." Nanami took a fighting stance, "And he's far stronger than you."

"We'll see."

He attacked with the scythe. All he needed was a little of her blood and then he could use his special technique. Nanami used her skills to dodge his attacks. She wasn't a fool. Jashin was a religion based on blood and death. If he so much as got a drop of her blood she would lose. She wasn't going to let that happen. Nanami forced herself to think and looked for something to use. She saw it then. The blood on the ground. She grinned and knew Shikamaru would have been proud of her for the plan she just came up with. Nanami ducked and rolled so that she landed beside the blood. She intentionally made it look like she was off balance. Hidan felt a moment of elation as his scythe sliced her arm. Nanami cried out in pain but kept her concentration on the spot Hidan had struck. She reached up and grabbed his scythe with both hands and shoved. The butt end of the weapon rammed into Hidan's stomach with enough force to have him doubling over. Nanami carefully shifted so that he wouldn't see the arm he sliced anymore.

Hidan stood up and took the blood from the scythe. He grinned wickedly, "You should have surrendered while you had the chance. Now I've won." He licked the blood from his finger and began to change. His his skin became black with white markings that looked like a skeleton. If she hadn't been prepared for it, the sight would have scared Nanami just a bit. He cut himself, and used his blood to draw a circle with a triangle inside it on the ground. Nanami watched him carefully. She had to do this right or the plan would fail. Hidan stepped onto the symbol.

"No you'll die," Hidan stated as he pulled out a pike. He sliced his own body with the pick several times. Every time the pike pierced the skin Nanami would cry out in pain. Hidan laughed at her pain and eventually sighed in regret. It was time to end the fight. Nanami's eyes widened in shock as he stabbed the pike into his heart. There was a cry of pain and then all was silent. Hidan began to laugh as he looked up at Nanami and then glared suddenly. "What?!" he demanded.

Nanami was still standing with a smirk on her face. "You really should make sure you have the right persons blood before you gloat. I believe you just killed your partner."

Hidan glanced over.

Kakuzu was still standing but he wasn't happy. Two of his masks were broken now. He turned his gaze to Hidan, "What did you do?"

"I don't know what happened either," Hidan snapped back.

"I'll explain. The blood on the ground is Kakuzu's. I put that on your scythe and let you think you got me." She glanced at Kakuzu, "Though I was hoping it'd kill you. I guess you have some sore of life prolonging trick too."

Kakuzu nodded, "You're smart and I can respect that."

"That's nice but we're still going to kill you," Nanami replied.

Hidan used her momentary distraction to try and get her with his weapon. Nanami saw him coming and dodged without a second to spare. 'Enough,' she thought to herself. 'It's time to end this.' When she landed she performed several hand signs. Hidan rushed at her while shouting, "Jutsus won't help you now." Nanami hands formed the last sign just as he began to bring his scythe down. He froze. Sweat trickled down both of their faces and there seemed to be some other battle going on even though they didn't move an inch.

While Nanami attempted to use her jutsu, Sakura had just slammed a fist into Kakuzu's face. He was sent flying several feet. Kakashi was examining the masks and then looked up and saw that there were two more on Kakuzu's back. "Naruto, Sasuke, attack those masks. They each contain a heart. In order to beat him we'll have to destroy all of them."

"Alright," they agreed.

They began to fight without any hesitation. Sasuke already had his sharingan activated and using it he managed to dodge all of Kakuzu's attack. Naruto used the fox's abilities to keep himself from from being harmed. Kakuzu suddenly smirked and the two remaining masks separated from his body. The threads in Kakuzu's body formed two bodies to go with the masks.

"What did he just do?" Naruto demanded.

Hinata activated her byakugan and frowned, "They have chakra and Kakashi is right. I can see the hearts inside the masks. There also one inside Kakuzu."

"That means were have three more hearts to destroy," Sakura commented as she watched the enemy.

"Naruto, with me," Sasuke snapped and the two rushed in to fight. This time Naruto was the distraction as Sasuke began to focus his chakra into his left hand. Sakura and Kakashi jumped in to distract the masks to give Sasuke a chance to attack. Then the chakra in Sasuke's hand formed the Chidori. Once it was ready he rushed towards the closest mask. Sakura was fighting that mask and saw him coming. She moved out of the way just as Sasuke struck. The thing exploded and the third mask as broken.

Hinata stood in the center of the fight and concentrated on the mask closest to her. She focused and began to use the beams of chakra to attack Kakuzu's last mask. Sakura moved in while it was trying dodge Hinata's precise attacks. She hit the the large monster right on the mask hard enough that her fist when right through the mask. The pink haired kunoichi moved out of the way as one of Hinata's beams of chakra shot through the hole in the mask. The monster froze and the mask fell off. The threads that made up it's body disassembled.

"One left," Naruto stated with a grin. They all turned to Kakuzu. They were exhausted and he was strong but they couldn't give up. So with the determination they were all known for, they took a fighting stance. Kakuzu grinned, "Fine. Come at me if you dare."

Nanami was relieved to hear that all the masks had been destroyed. She was also annoyed that she couldn't help. Her gray eyes stared into Hidan's eyes as they both fought for control. Nanami had performed the body-control jutsu and now it was her will against his. With one burst of chakra and energy, she forced the power of her jutsu on him. Using the jutsu to force him to stay frozen, Nanami drew back a fist and punched him as hard as she could. Added tot he punch she used medical chakra to cause internal damage. Hidan was sent flying backwards. He stood up and glared at her.

"That wasn't nice," he complained.

"I'm not supposed to be nice to you," she pointed out. Nanami took a fighting stance. He did the same. Neither held back now as the attacked. Hidan was doing everything he could to get just one drop of her blood, but every time he thought he had some her injury would heal up without letting any blood spill. Nanami blocked any attacks she could and hit him when he opened himself for it. At first it was hard to tell who was winning but Nanami's medical ninjutsu was starting to take it's toll on Hidan. Even an immortal body could only take so much damage before giving out. As it was Hidan never reached that limit before Nanami found the perfect opening. She struck him on the pressure point of the neck. Hidan crumpled under the false cloak of death that Haku once inflicted on Zabuza. She panted for breath as she decided what to do now. He would just get back up again if she didn't do something. With a glance around, she remembered the exploding tags they had with them. After digging a large hole she dragged Hidan's body into it and placed the tags all around him. Lighting a match she dropped it inside the hole. The explosion rocked the area. When the dust settled Hidan had been blown apart and buried under several feet of dirt.

Nanami turned to see how the others were doing. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto were working together again. This time Naruto was using the Rasengan. He tricked Kakuzu into attacking his clones while the real Naruto came up behind Kakuzu. Nanami was surprised to see that Naruto was using a new attack. From were she stood it looked like a large shuriken. Nanami watched as Naruto's attack connected. Kakuzu was then trapped in the vortex of wind that Naruto's attack had created. When Kakuzu finally fell to the ground again Kakashi walked over to him and calmly used his chidori to finish the job.

"Did we win?" Sakura asked.

Nanami nodded, "Yes. I believe we did."

Sakura allowed herself to sink down to her knees. "Thank god. That was one of the most difficult fights I've ever had. Right up there with fighting Sasori."

Everyone else agreed full heartedly. They had all used up a great deal of their chakra and physical energy. Nanami smiled, "Let's get some rest." She turned and started to walk away from the area. Everyone fell into step next to her. Nanami suddenly stopped and fell to her hands and knees. Sasuke and Kakashi rushed over to her in concern. The Uchiha looked up at Sakura, "What's wrong with her?"

Sakura knelt beside Nanami and began examining her. Nanami was panting for breath and sweat trickled down her face. She was visibly shaking and couldn't seem to get back up. The pink haired medic frowned. "She's exhausted. My guess is she used too much chakra."

"What can we do?" Naruto asked.

"She just needs lots of rest," Sakura replied.

"Then lets set up camp and let her rest," Kakashi suggested. He lifted Nanami and the group headed out to find a place to camp. They didn't want to be near the battle ground in case the enemy came looking for their fallen comrades. None of them were in the condition to fight anymore.

----------_With the Akatsuki_----------

"They killed Kakuzu and Hidan," Zetsu reported.

"What should be done about it?" Deidara asked.

"The fox is with them isn't he?" Pain stated.

"Yes, sir," Zetsu replied.

"Then Itachi and Kisame should go. Kill them all and bring the fox here," Pain ordered.

"You do realized that Sasuke is with them, right?" Itachi stated more than asked.

"And your point is?"

"We have a deal with Itachi. No harm can come to Sasuke Uchiha as long as Itachi is a member of the Akatsuki," a new voice replied. A man stepped out of the shadows. He had black, spiky hair and wore a orange mask over his face. Only one eye could be seen through the mask. The rest of him was hidden by the Akatsuki's black cloak. He turned to Itachi, "Don't worry. Just kill the rest of them and bring us that fox. Sasuke will be allowed to live as long as you stick to our deal."

Itachi turned and walked away. Kisame fell into step next to him. He glanced at the older Uchiha with a curious expression. "What do you want to do? Nanami is with them as well."

"I don't know yet."

"Are you going to kill her?"

"Hn."

Kisame's eyes narrowed. "I'll take that as a 'no'. That means we're going to let her live. Which will be going against orders. That means the deal you had with the Madara will be off."

"Hn."

"What about Sasuke's team? If you kill them he'll be very unhappy."

"Hn."

"Do you know how to day anything else?" Kisame finally demanded.

Itachi smirked, "No."

"Oh, so now you have a sense of humor," the shark stated sarcastically. "Where has that been all these years."

"Hn."

"I give up." Things were silent for about two seconds then Kisame repeated his original question. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, Kisame. If I don't follow orders they'll kill Sasuke but if I do follow them..." Itachi couldn't even say it. He didn't want to even imagine having to kill her.

"Itachi, have you ever considered that Sasuke might be able to defend himself now?" Kisame asked. "It's been seven years now. He could get a lot stronger in that time."

"No."

"Then let's go find out before you make any decisions. If he's strong enough then you won't have to kill anyone."

With a sigh Itachi nodded. What choice did he have? It was go with Kisame's plan or kill one of the people who mattered most to him. Itachi would never admit it out loud but he didn't think he was capable of killing Nanami. That let praying that Sasuke was stronger than an S-class shinobi with no morals.

* * *

That's it for now. I've already started on the next chapter so it should be up by the end of the weekend. DON"T CLOSE THIS WINDOW YET! You're not finished. There's a buttong below this chapter that says "Review this story/chapter". To finish you need to move your mouse above the botton and click. Then type in what you think of the chapter. Push the submit or send button (don't know which it is). Then you're finished. Now I'm done. Until the next chapter.


	18. Ultimatum

Here it is. The next chapter. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: i own nothing.

* * *

**Ch. 18: Ultimatum**

They located Team 7 two days later. The four Chunin jumped up and took a fighting stance the moment they saw Itachi and Kisame. Sasuke and his brother examined each other's strengths and weaknesses. Kisame took a look at the team and frowned. He could only see the four chunin in front of him. Zetsu had reported that there were two others. Where were Nanami and Kakashi? The shark man glanced at Itachi and saw that his partner was wondering the same thing. The silence stretched as the two groups examined each other and the area around them.

Kisame finally broke the silence, "We were sent to kill you."

"We kind of guessed that," Sakura replied. She pulled on her gloves. The battle would be inevitable, so she might as well be ready for it.

"Where's Nanami?" Itachi asked.

"Why do you care?" Sasuke snapped. He couldn't suppress the anger on Nanami's behalf. She had suffered because Itachi hadn't taken the time to ask for help when he needed it. Now he had come to kill her. That pissed Sasuke off almost as much as when he thought about his clan's massacre. "You didn't care about her seven years ago, so why should you now?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "What makes you think I'm asking because I care? She and Kakashi are merely the biggest threats among you."

Sasuke smirked, "You might be right about that but they're not the only threats."

"Really?" Itachi questioned. "You think you're a threat to me, little brother?"

The younger Uchiha swallowed his pride. This was too important to let such things get in the way. Then he admitted something out loud that he barely acknowledged to himself. "Not alone, but I don't have to fight alone. My team will back me up." Sasuke's eyes bore into Itachi's. "So come at me, Itachi, and I'll show you that Nanami and Kakashi aren't the only threats here."

Kisame grinned at Sasuke's words. The boy was definitely an Uchiha. The shark man looked at Itachi. There was a hint of pride in Itachi's dark eyes. This fight was starting to get interesting. Everyone took a fighting stance and prepared for the battle. Sasuke wasted no time in attacking. Without planning they chose their opponents.

Naruto and Hinata took Kisame. The sharkface had a great deal of chakra. Naruto was the only one that could possibly pull out the even half of what Kisame had. Hinata's byakugan allowed her to see his chakra and her her attacks were precise. Naruto started by summoning his clones and attacking Kisame from all angles. Hinata watched carefully and used her beams of chakra for defense and offense.

Sasuke and Sakura took Itachi. Sasuke and Itachi matched each other in speed and physical strength. However, the older Uchiha had more battle experience and was a more skilled fighter because of it. Sakura used her strength to keep Itachi on the run, hoping he would open himself up for Sasuke. Sasuke held nothing back. He knew that his brother wasn't evil and the temptation to pull his punches was strong. He couldn't do it though. The whole point of this mission was to convince his brother that he didn't need to protect Sasuke anymore. The younger Uchiha was putting everything he had into that plan. He kicked, punched, and blocked with everything he had to beat his brother.

It was the noise that woke her up. Fighting wasn't exactly a silent sport. Nanami pushed herself up and saw Kakashi kneeling beside her. She tilted her head, "What's going on?"

"Itachi and Kisame are here. Our little ones are fighting them now."

"How are they doing?"

"They're holding their own for the moment. I think they'll win without us. Why don't we just watch?"

She nodded, "I wouldn't be much good right now anyway. I'm still tired from the fight with Grim Reaper anyway."

The two jonin watched the fight through the trees and both were very proud of their team. They had all come a long way from the genin they had started out as. Sasuke had learned that he didn't have to be alone and that love wasn't a weakness. Sakura had started to stand for herself instead of always being in the background. Hinata finally developed the self confidence she always needed. And Naruto had grown the most. He had gone from being a prankster that was always alone to a strong and determined young man with more friends than he could count. All of them were very loyal and strong shinobi. Nanami smiled and could only think, 'My little guys have done gone and grown up.'

The fight seemed to last for an eternity. Nanami wasn't surprised to see that Itachi had lost none of his skills during his time with the Akatsuki. The older Uchiha had always been one of the strongest shinobi she had ever met. He was possibly even stronger than Kakashi, an elite ninja. There were times, when it looked like Sasuke would lose, that she almost jumped into the fight. It was only the determined look in Sasuke's eyes that had her staying back. He wouldn't lose. It didn't matter how many genjutsus or ninjutsus Itachi used, the younger Uchiha refused to yield. Even thought Itachi was better at taijutsu, Sasuke wouldn't fall. He kept getting up and fighting back with everything he had.

Then Itachi made a mistake. It was so small that Nanami couldn't even be sure that it was a mistake. He had aimed a punch at Sasuke that had just a little too much force behind it. Itachi couldn't pull back soon enough to stop Sasuke from grabbing the arm when he dodged. Sasuke grabbed the arm and moved in. Sakura took the opportunity to take a hold Itachi's other arm and twisted it behind his back. Both of the chunin had a kunai at Itachi's throat. He had lost.

When Nanami looked over to Naruto and Hinata, she saw that they were just finishing up their fight. Naruto had used his Rasengan and hit Kisame in the abdomen. Hinata used Kisame's moment of distraction and moved in with the Hyuga clan's gentle fist style. A few strikes had Kisame slammed against a tree with three of Naruto's clones surrounding him. The real Naruto pressed a kunai to his throat. The fight was over.

"We win," Sasuke stated.

Itachi waited for one second...two...three. "Well, aren't you going to kill me, Sasuke? You've waited for seven years to avenge our clan."

Sasuke smirked and stepped back. The other three did the same with identical smirks. The younger Uchiha shook his head, "I'm not going to kill you, brother. I've won and that's all I wanted."

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Nanami found the journal," Sasuke explained. "We know everything."

For perhaps the first time in his life, Itachi's face showed his true emotions. His eyes widened in shock and he could only stare at Sasuke. They had found his journal. Then he couldn't help but smile ruefully. Itachi didn't know why he wrote in it that last time. He almost hadn't. The plan was to burn it so that no one would ever read it. Instead he found himself standing in the clearing where he had spent so much time with Nanami. Then the compulsion to write one last time had come over him. So he wrote it the journal one last time and hid it in the tree. There were times during the last few years that he had almost gone back to destroy it. Something always stopped him. Maybe it wasn't pure luck that had Nanami finding it now, when Sasuke could prove that he was strong enough to defend himself. Perhaps fate decided to stick it's nose into the situation.

"I won't kill you for protecting me, Itachi. This mission wasn't to kill you. We were sent to bring you home," Sasuke continued.

"I can't. Missing-nin, remember?"

"We've already taken care of that. Lady Tsunade is willing to pardon you and Kisame of all crimes as long as you both suffer through a year of probation for joining the Akatsuki," Sakura replied. She was smiling.

Nanami and Kakashi stepped out from their hiding place. Itachi's dark eyes moved to her. She hadn't changed since the last time he had seen her. Nanami surprised him then by smiling at him. Her gray eyes were warm and soft with welcome. "Hello, Itachi. It's been a while."

"You're hurt," he stated.

She nodded in agreement, "And tired. Can we please go home." Itachi still seemed unsure. Nanami walked forward until she stood directly in front of him. She placed a hand on his cheek and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Itachi. Haven't we all sacrificed enough to the Akatsuki? You don't have to anymore. Let's go home."

Itachi looked over to Kisame. His partner simply nodded. Kisame was right of course. The only reason he had left Konoha was to protect Sasuke. Now his brother didn't need protection anymore. He could go home. He could have the life that he had wanted from the beginning. Itachi looked at the woman standing in front of him and placed his own hand on top of hers. "Alright," he agreed. "Let's go home."

She smiled. The Konoha shinobi cheered, except for Sasuke. The younger Uchiha simply allowed himself to smile. Everyone turned and started to walk back towards the village. It would take a little under two days to reach their home with everyone as exhausted as they were. Nanami fell behind because she was still exhausted from her fight with Hidan. It would take at least another three days before she was back to normal. She frowned over the weakness she felt. It always annoyed her to feel like this. Something behind her caught her attention then there was something cool against her throat. She frowned. Damn it. This was why she hated being weak.

Itachi had noticed that she was falling behind and started tp turn. The stubborn woman shouldn't be walking. He was going to carry her. She would probably fight with him about it but he would win. When he turned and saw her, his heart skipped a beat. He felt an emotion swarm through him that he hadn't experienced in years...fear. Standing behind Nanami was the man that wore the orange mask. The man had a kunai at Nanami's throat and seemed prepared to use it.

"Did you really think that we'd let you go, Itachi?" Madara Uchiha asked. He shook his head and made a 'tsk tsk' sound. "You should have known better. Sasuke isn't the only one that we can hurt."

"Let her go, Madara. She has nothing to do with this," Itachi said as calmly as he could.

"Oh, but she does. You see this." Madara grabbed the silver chian he saw at Nanami's neck and pulled. The pendant came out from under her shirt where she had kept it hidden. Everyone stared at the Uchiha clan symbol that dangled from the chain. Madara grinned, "This means that she has everything to do with it. On the back is the engraving right but I don't have to look. I know which Uchiha she belongs to." He looked at Nanami then back up at the group. "She had a very distinctive appearance. She had a face that one doesn't forget easily. Her eyes and that silver lock of hair only make her more memorable." Madara looked at Itachi, "She was your fiance before you left the village. If I remember correctly you cared for her a great deal."

"Let her go," Naruto snapped.

"Let me think about it...umm...no."

"You're a coward," Naruto stated in frustration. "You never would have gotten that close to her if she hadn't been exhausted."

"Let me let you in on a secret, kid. I'm the bad guy. That means I don't care about things like honor or rules. I live to break them." Madara looked down at the woman who was glaring up at him for all she was worth. "She's a fighter. She'll fight back so her death will be slow..."

"If anything happens to her, Madara, people will have nightmares about your fate for centuries to come," Itachi promised darkly.

"We'll see. I still need you on our side though. We need to capture the fox and you are the best one for the job. You have one week to return to the Akatsuki, Itachi. If you return and vow never to leave again then I'll release Nanami to her clan. If you don't then I'll see that she never leaves our city alive. It's your choice."

Sasuke's and Itachi's sharingans activated at the same time. Madara just chuckled and vanished with Nanami. Itachi's reaction was instant violence. Her punched the ground with all his strength forming a crater in the ground. The rest of the group was forced to dodge back to keep from falling in. Itachi didn't pay attention to anything else. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke, "Damn it. Not again. This is my fault."

"You couldn't have done anything to stop him, Itachi," Kisame pointed out.

"I should have. I should have protected her. If I had moved just a second sooner..."

"We'll get her back," Naruto stated.

"Of course we will, after I surrender."

Sakura tried to fight back tears. Itachi had been free and then Madara had to ruin it. The look of absolute despair on his face was enough to break her heart. Itachi had lost all hope and she couldn't see a way to give it back to him.

Sasuke stood in front of his brother with an angry scowl. "So you're just going to give up? After all Nanami went through to bring you home, you're not even going to try to find another way to save her?" The younger Uchiha got a look of disgust on his face. His voice was as cold as ice when he added, "How pathetic."

Itachi's eyes snapped up and his voice was sharp, "And just what would you have me do, Sasuke? Let them kill her? Madara doesn't have any humanity in him. He'll kill her and her death won't be quick. He'll see that she suffers only because it will make me suffer."

"Alright, go ahead and give up. Do me a favor though. Before they let her go I want you to tell her why you gave up without a fight," Sasuke snapped.

"And what else can I do?"

"Use the week to come up with another plan. Madara is so confident that you'll turn yourself in without a fight. Don't prove him right."

Itachi's control had begun the slip the moment he had seen Madara standing behind Nanami. With every word Sasuke said another strand snapped. Why couldn't he understand? If he didn't do as Madara ordered Nanami would be killed. He couldn't let that happen. Even if it meant selling his soul he would never let Madara kill Nanami or Sasuke. They were all he had left.

"Doesn't she matter to you, Itachi? Will you break her again by joining the Akatsuki again?" Sasuke's voice was like a whip as he continued to goad his brother's temper.

Another thread snapped. Itachi's control slipped a little more. For perhaps the first time in his life he found himself shouting. "Yes she matters, damn it. I wish she didn't because then she wouldn't be in the Akatsuki's hands right now. I don't have a choice. The only way to guarantee her safety is for me to surrender. You know that."

"Oh, yes. That will solve all of her problems," Sasuke replied sarcastically. "Rejoin the Akatsuki so the Hokage will send her out to kill you. I'm sure Nanami will just love that."

"I doubt she'll mind living, Sasuke," Itachi's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Damn it, Itachi. You can be such an idiot. Don't you get it? Nanami loves you. She would die for you. Hell, she lives for you. Don't you understand what that means?" Sasuke's temper had reached a boiling point. He wasn't sure how to make Itachi understand but he would damn it. It's what Nanami would have wanted. She didn't go through all of this just to have Itachi forced back into the Akatsuki. "Well, I'll tell you. It means she would rather die than be the reason you have to suffer. If you surrender now Nanami will never be happy again so she might as well be dead. But apparently that doesn't matter to you."

The last of Itachi's control broke with an audible snap in his mind. No one saw him move. He was standing in the center of the crater one moment and then the next he was holding Sasuke by the throat. The two brothers each had their Sharingans activated as they glared at each other. Although his eyes burned with rage, Itachi's voice was calm and cold. "Don't tell me that I don't care about her."

"Then prove you care. Find a way to save her that won't leave her broken again."

For a moment the two just stared at each other silently. Itachi finally stepped back, letting go of Sasuke. The younger Uchiha rubbed his neck absently while waiting for his brother's decision. He noticed that the rest of the team had moved so that they could stop Itachi if he tried to leave. Itachi looked up at Sasuke, "You're right. We'll return to Konoha and come up with a plan to rescue Nanami."

"Let's stop in and inform the Tsukino clan," Kakashi stated. "They'll need to be informed."

The group nodded in agreement and every rushed for Konoha as fast as they could. Nanami only had a week. It would take a day and a half to reach the village. Then they would need time to plan and get to where ever the Akatsuki were. It would also help if they could get help from the other shinobi villages. As they rushed through the forest they began to plan and pray for Nanami's safety.

* * *

That's it for now. I'll get to work on the next chapter. Don't forget to send me a review.


	19. The End

This is not the last chapter. I know the title says the end but it's the end of the Akatsuki not the end of the story. I just wanted to make that clear before I get reviews about the cliffhanger I left at the end of the chapter. Again i have to remind everyone that I suck at fight scenes. This ones even harder than most because I've never seen Madara fight. I don't think he's fought at all in the anime or manga...could be wrong. But I did the best I could with the info I had. Please forgive any mistakes I make.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

**Ch. 19: The End**

The team reached Konoha in record time. All of the jonin and a few other selected shinobi were called into the Hokage's office. Once they heard that Nanami had been taken captive, plans began to be made for her rescue. At first everyone was a little nervous around Kisame and Itachi. The two had been the enemy until just two days ago. Now they were their best source of information on the enemy. It was strange to make plans with them to attack their old comrades. Kisame seemed to have to trouble providing the information on the Akatsuki. He told them that the base was located in Amegakure. The shark man even told everyone the strengths and weaknesses of every member without hesitation. From his info the Konoha shinbi knew that there were seven Pains plus the other four members. Teams were assigned to specific targets among the organization. Everyone else would be fighting with the underlings that lived in the city.

Sasuke watched Itachi and was slightly impressed by his brother's control. When Sakura had been kidnapped, he had been cursing and demanding that they plan faster. In contrast, Itachi seemed cool as a cucumber. There was no emotion in his eyes that would tell anyone that he was worried. If Sasuke hadn't seen Itachi's reaction just seconds after Madara had left with Nanami then he would have believed that his brother was unaffected by the events. But the image of Itachi smashing the ground was still fresh in his mind. Never in his life had Sasuke seen just rage and despair in his brother's eyes.

"It's a plan then. Let's get to work. We have to leave tomorrow to get to Amegakure before the week is up," Naruto stated.

Tsunade nodded, "I'll send messages to all of the other shinobi villages. Many of them have scores to settle with the Akatsuki as well."

The rest of the day was spent preparing to leave in the morning. The leaf shinobi eventually admitted that they couldn't do anything else until the morning. They want to bed and tried their best to sleep. Itachi and Kisame stayed at the Uchiha compound with Sakura and Sasuke. The older Uchiha stared out his window at the night sky. There were only two thoughts on his mind. One was a pray for Nanami's safety. The other was of all the ways he could make Madara suffer before killing him.

_----------With Nanami----------_

"Oomph!" Nanami had just landed on the bed where Madara dumped her with a thud. She looked up at him with a fierce glare. Her weakened state didn't affect her temper any. It was still as strong as ever, and Madara was doing a good job of pushing all of her buttons. Not that it was difficult to anger her but Madara still had a talent for it. Kidnapping her was probably the first clue that he would annoy her a lot. "Did you have to be so rude about it? I can still walk you know," she snapped at him.

He smirked, "You really do have a temper. I'd be careful if I were you. You're not in the position to anger me."

She grinned, "Of course I am. You can't hurt me until Itachi comes. Otherwise he won't rejoin you and you know it." Nanami pushed her self up and met his eyes with a defiant glare. "So I can do whatever I want and you can't do a damn thing about it."

"I don't have to kill you to punish you," he warned.

She shrugged, "You won't."

He thought about proving her wrong but decided against it. It would do for the woman to get killed accidentally because he punished her when angry. Madara turned and walked out of the room. "Don't leave this room." He slammed the door shut behind him

Nanami shook her head as she heard a lock slide into place. 'He doesn't trust me to obey orders,' she thought to herself. She grinned. 'Well, I wouldn't obey his so I suppose I can't blame him.' Nanami turned and walked over to the window. She was sure that Itachi would come for her. That much was certain. What worried her was what he would do when he came. Would he surrender himself? She hoped someone stopped him from doing that. She would rather die than be the reason Itachi was made to suffer again.

She glanced at the bed with some concern. There was no way in hell she could sleep without blocking the door. A glance around revealed a dresser. With a few shoves and a great deal of effort she managed to move it in front of the door. She dusted off her hands. "There. I'd like to see them get through that without waking me up," she said to herself as she crawled into the bed. She was exhausted. Not that she was surprised by that. It had only been one day since her fight with Hidan. It would be another 24 hours before she was back to full strength again. Nanami fell into sleep praying that Itachi wouldn't surrender.

Nanami had been trapped in the room for two days. She hadn't seen anyone in nearly twelve hours. Her strength had returned the day before and the first time they opened the door she made a break for it. It took three of the Akatsuki members to catch and contain her again. She left one of them with something to remember her by. The annoying blonde man wouldn't be able to breathe properly for several hours now. The second one had been one of the seven Pains. She had nearly gotten him too but the third man had come up and knocked her unconscious. Since tat incident the door hadn't opened. She wondered if they would let her starve to death.

The medic looked out the window and frowned. She could have sworn she saw someone on the other side of the village gates. With an annoyed sigh she dismissed it as a villager taking a walk outside the village. Another movement caught her attention. It wasn't a villager. At least not one from Amegakure. The clothes were all wrong. She was almost certain that it was a leaf shinobi.

Before she could think much more on the person, something else distracted her. Itachi and Kisame were approaching the gates. The two seemed perfectly calm. She watched the gates swing open. Without any warning, Itachi and Kisame rushed inside. There were several shouts as the guards around the gates were dealt with. Then Itachi gave some sort of signal. Hundreds of shinobi rushed into Amegakure. The fight began almost instantly. Nanami saw several groups of shinobi rush through the village as if looking for a specific target. Her eyes searched the area for Itachi. He wasn't there. Where the hell was he? She had to hit him for being so late.

There was shouting outside her door and she turned to it just in time to hear a loud banging sound. She watched as the door shook. Nanami got into a fighting stance and waited. For a second nothing happened but then the door flew open with a loud crash. The frame around it cracked since whoever kicked it didn't bother unlocking it first. She was surprised that the door didn't just fly off its hinges.

Nanami stared at the person standing in the door way. Her gray eyes widened. Once she was over her shock, Nanami rushed forward and...hugged him. He caught her and just held on while telling himself that she was alright. Nanami was still alive and unharmed.

"I've never been so glad to see you," she whispered.

He stepped back and Nanami looked into his crimson eyes. He smirked, "And here I was expecting you to hit me."

"Which reminds me." Nanami bopped him on the side of the head. "What took you so long, Itachi?"

He chuckled then turned serious. "Come on. We have to find Madara. My fight is with him. You're my partner."

She nodded, "Lead the way."

They rushed through the village. Itachi caught her up on the plan. While they searched Nanami saw several of the teams that were fighting with the Akatsuki members. Gaara had come himself with several sand shinobi. The kazekage had a score to settle with Deidara. Gaara and his siblings seemed to be doing a good job of settling that score. Team Guy was fighting with a Pain that made using ninjutsu pointless. Since their team used primarily taijutsu, they were perfect for fighting him. Other teams were similarly teamed up to fight with the intention of putting whichever Akatsuki member they were fight at a disadvantage. Nanami was impressed by how well they planned the fight. If she hadn't of known they only had two days, she would have said they spent months planning the battle.

Itachi suddenly shoved open a set of doors that led into the main meeting room of the Akatsuki. Sitting at the large round table was Madara Uchiha. He grinned when he saw Itachi. "Well, if it isn't the prodigy come to kill his master."

"You're not my master," Itachi stated coldly. Even though he was pissed off, he knew better than to fight with a hot head. Unlike Nanami, he couldn't fight well angry. Nanami turned temper into her strength. Itachi had always preferred the logical and methodical approach. He forced himself to calm down and focused on the battle at hand. Madara stood up. He and Itachi circled each other like lions stalking their prey. Itachi was about to move in for the attack when someone grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned to see Nanami and allowed her to see the frustration in his eyes. She just smiled and placed her hands on his eyes. He saw a soft green glow a few seconds. When she pulled her hand away, he grinned. His vision that had been disappearing from using the Mangekyo sharingan was now fully restored.

Nanami took a fighting stance next Itachi. She was aware that the the two Uchihas were an even match. She hoped that she would throw the balance in Itachi's favor. The two of them fought together. Madara was no pushover. He blocked every attack and throw some punches of their own. Nanami eventually jumped back out of the way. The Uchihas were using their clan's kekkei genkai to it's fullest capacity. They punched, kicked, blocked, and cast jutsu after jutsu but neither Uchiha gained the advantage. Nanami couldn't even keep track of their movements anymore. She knew she would have to do something but she wasn't sure what.

Both men had forgotten about her by this point. Madara saw a break in Itachi's defense and went after it with all of his strength. Itachi felt himself go off balance and saw Madara coming at him with a kunai. There was no way he would be able to block in time. The fight was over.

* * *

That's it for now. I'll get the next chapter up asap. now that one will be the last chapter. Let me know what you thought about this one.


	20. Home At Last

This is it. I will miss this story very much but it is time to move on. I'll admit that Itachi might be a little out of character during this chapter but I'm not sure. Oh well, it's the last chapter. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: One last time...listen very carefully...i don't own Naruto.

**

* * *

Ch. 20: Home At Last  
**

He opened his eyes slowly. Where was he? His hand came up and pressed against his forehead as he groaned in pain. Then he realized he was in a bed. How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was seeing Madara coming at him with a kunai. He sat up right as another memory surfaced. He started to get up but Sakura walked into the room with Sasuke right then. Both rushed forward and made him stay in the bed.

"Itachi, you can't get up yet. You haven't fully recovered from using the Amaterasu on Madara," Sakura informed him.

"Nanami?" Itachi asked.

"She was taken to her clan's compound," Sasuke answered.

"What happened?"

"We don't know either. You were both out cold when we found you," Sakura replied. "Her clan took her home. Apparently something went wrong with her kekkei genkai because Nanami was in bad shape. Lord Setsuna looked worried. They sent a message yesterday to tell us that she would be alright."

"Has she woken up yet?"

Sakura shook her head, "That's the only thing that worries us."

"Did you clan say what happened to her?"

"They would only say that she saved your life using her blood trait. They wouldn't explain even to me. Sasuke and Kakashi know but they swore never to tell anyone about that particular aspect of the Tsukino kekkei genkai."

Sasuke gave Sakura an apologetic look. She shook her head with a smile, "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. I understand."

The younger Uchiha looked at his brother, "Nanami should wake up in a day or two now."

"What happened, Sasuke?"

"Madara had stabbed you in the heart. At the same time you used the Amaterasu. He burned to death and you should have died with him but Nanami saved your life using her healing abilities. It exhausted her."

Itachi frowned as he tried to remember what happened himself. There was something more to what Nanami did to save him. Why else would her clan work so hard at keeping it a secret? She didn't just use medical ninjutsu. The fact that the Tsukino clan was exceptionally skilled at medical jutsus wasn't a secret. So what happened to her? It didn't make any sense and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember what happened after Madara stabbed him.

He looked up at his brother and Sakura. They actually expected him to stay here knowing that something was wrong with Nanami. Itachi laid back down as he considered possibilities. He saw Sasuke's eyes narrow slightly but his brother said nothing. Sakura checked on all of Itachi's injuries and replaced bandages. When she finished, the two of them left the room and Sakura ordered Itachi to rest.

Itachi debated on what to do and decided rest probably was best for now. It wouldn't be a good idea to go to Nanami right then. She would only get pissed that he moved before he was healed completely. They had too much to talk about to argue about his health. Several days passed before Itachi was allowed to leave the hospital. He went straight to the Tsukino compound. Lady Kimiko met him at the gate.

"It's nice to see you back, Itachi," she greeted him.

"Nanami?"

"She's not here. Nanami left this morning for a walk. She hasn't returned." Kimiko looked out at the forest surrounding their holdings. She added more to herself that to Itachi, "I hope she isn't pushing herself. She was in very bad shape. I should have known it would happen but we all forgot about that particular side effect of our kekkei genkai."

"I'll find her," Itachi replied.

Kimiko nodded, "You always do. Be gentle with her, Itachi. Nanami is scared and tired."

"Scared?"

"You'll figure it out. Now go on, dear. I'll see that a room is prepared for you." The old woman turned and walked back inside.

Itachi shook his head. Lady Kimiko was as cryptic as usual. He turned and walked towards one particular spot. She always went there when something was bothering her, especially if it was him that bothered her. It was their spot. They had met there. They had cried there. They had trained there. It had more memories for them than any other location or item. The clearing was the same as he remembered it. The water was crystal clear with it's beautiful waterfall. The grass was green and flowers dotted the clearing. Surrounding them was forest in all direction. Above them was the night sky sprinkled with stars. Fireflies danced around them adding a breathtaking glow to the scene.

Nanami stood at the edge of the pool. She was also unchanged. Her thick, dark hair fell down her back like silk. The darkness around them and the color of her hair made the silver lock at her brow seem to glow. Her storm cloud eyes were soft and warm. She was barely five feet tall with a figure most women would have killed for. Nanami barely noticed how she looked. The only time he could remember her being concerned about such things was the first time someone had said she looked fragile. That had pissed her off.

She knew the moment he stepped out of the forest but didn't turn around. "I actually came here intentionally this time. Usually I just start walking aimlessly and end up here."

"Same thing happens to me." That wasn't what he came here for. "Nanami, what happened to you at Amegakure?"

"I used too much chakra."

"How? You didn't preform that many jutsu's during the fight and the others said you were passed out when they arrived."

Now Nanami turned to look at him. He was dressed like and Uchiha now. The dark shirt he wore had the clan symbol on the back. His dark hair was in a low ponytail, and he watched her with those dark eyes that saw everything. She couldn't help but smile at him. "I was passed out."

"Then what happened?"

"My medical chakra healed you automatically." Now Nanami spoke more to herself than to Itachi, "I forgot that was possible. Usually it only heals me automatically. I guess that's what I get for not thinking things through when I touched you."

She wasn't making any sense to Itachi. His eyes narrowed, "Care to explain?"

"You know about our clan's kekkei genkai, right?"

He nodded, "Chiyobodi."

"Well usually it only heals me automatically. There is one exception to that rule though. Sometimes when we touch someone else our kekkei genkai reacts making them the exception. For my father it's mom. For my grandmother it had been grandfather." Nanami drew in a deep breath as she saw understanding come into Itachi's eyes. "And for me, it's you."

"What does that mean?" he asked. Itachi knew. He remembered Nanami mentioning it before. It was the reason they had never been assigned to the same mission before. Still, he wanted to make sure he was right. A little confirmation never hurt.

Nanami fidgeted a little. It was tempting to just turn and run away but that felt too cowardly. Then again, sometimes cowardly wasn't such a bad thing. She shook her head with a frown. Itachi wouldn't have risked everything to save her if he didn't care, so why was so so afraid? Because the bastard was a honorable guy so he would have saved her even if he didn't care about her. It would have been the right thing to do.

She was so focused on the argument she was having with herself that she didn't notice Itachi move closer until she felt his hand on her skin. She jumped in surprise and glared at him. Then she saw the chain he had grabbed. Dangling fro the chain was the Uchiha clan symbol. She looked up to see Itachi staring into her eyes. For some reason her flight or fight response kicked in and with Nanami it was usually always fight. Except right now. For the first time in her life, she wanted to chose flight. She would have if he hadn't been watching her. Something in those dark eyes held her in place. While her body screamed at her to move, her mind was unable to comprehend the demand.

"Itachi?" she found herself asking. She didn't know what she was asking but it was a question anyway.

He smirked as he turned it around and looked at the engraving on the back. _"Property of Itachi Uchiha."_ It was a simple statement that held a world of meaning. "Nanami, you know what this necklace means, right?"

She nodded her head. Nanami wasn't sure where this conversation was going, but her instincts were screaming answers and actions at her. Since listening to her instincts and emotions had always worked before, she went with them now. Nanami licked her lips since they suddenly felt very dry. Damn him for having this effect on her. She glared at him as temper sparked in her eyes.

Itachi could only grin. It was just like Nanami to react with anger when she didn't know what to do. He still wanted her to tell him what was going on in her head though. He didn't know what to do about her right now and it bothered him.

"Nanami?"

She couldn't say no to him. Nanami drew in a deep breath and prepared to risk everything again. "I...I'm wearing the necklace and my Chiyobodi healed you on it's own because..." Her eyes narrowed as her temper sparked again. This time she was annoyed with herself. It was three words. They weren't that hard to say, and yet she couldn't quiet give them up. A part of her didn't want to give him that kind of power over her again. If she never said the words he wouldn't know that he could still hurt her. And, that was just plain stupid. What difference did it make if he knew or not? So she said it anyway. "Because I love you."

He grinned, "I thought so."

Nanami didn't have time to process what happened next until it had already happened. Itachi reached up and threaded his fingers into her hair. The next thing she knew his mouth was on hers. She felt a brief moment of shock before her mind stopped working. Her body seemed melt and if his other arm hadn't come around her waist she might have fallen down. Emotions and sensations overwhelmed her, and she felt like she was drowning. Part of her was award that she would need air soon but the rest of her didn't care. Who needed air?

Itachi took his time. There had only been four times in his life that he had this opportunity. The first have been just that, the first. The second was when she had promised to watch Sasuke should anything happen to him. That had been a thank you. The third was when she had come to help save the Kazekage. That had been a good-bye since he had fully expected to die the next time they met. This time was different though. This was for pure pleasure.

Reluctantly, he pulled away and smirked. Her normally alert eyes were glazed and unfocused. She shook her head to clear it and looked back up at him, "Don't do that when something important is going on. My mind seems to chose that moment to go on holiday."

His smirk turned into a grin and Nanami wondered what she had just gotten herself into. She forced herself to think clearly and frowned. Clearly meant confusion. Maybe she should have let her mind stay on holiday. "Itachi...what does this mean? I stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago and this is starting to look suspiciously like an ending to one."

Itachi closed his eyes. He knew what he had to say but didn't like it. His problem wasn't the same as Nanami's. She had been afraid to give him the power that particular emotion gave him over her. He wasn't afraid. It just wasn't that easy for him to share his emotions. However, with all the baggage their past had given them he had to say it. It would be the only way that they would be able to move on. Amazing how much power those three simple words had. Those words had destroyed nations and created new one. They tore people apart and brought them together. Now he needed them to repair the damage Madara had forced him to do. They would to, if he could only say them this one time.

Itachi showed just how much he and Sasuke were alike with his next move. He leaned down so that his mouth was next to Nanami's ears and whispered the words. No one else would ever hear him say them. She might not even hear him say them again. But to say them this once was enough. Nanami wrapped her arms around him. The two of them stood there for a moment, oblivious to the rest of the world. Later the two of them entered the Tsukino compound. Nanami's grandmother and parents were there to greet them, along with their friends from Konoha. The celebration began. Years of suffering were finally over. Now it was time for new beginnings with happier moments. Itachi looked around at his family allowed his first real smile in years. It felt good. He looked down at Nanami who was smiling up at him. Yes, it was good to finally be home.

**The End**

* * *

That's it. Really. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember any new story ideas I have will be posted on my profile page. You can send me messages to tell me which one you would like to read next. Until next time.


End file.
